Super Dimension Fortress Macross: C
It always feels so mean to give truly classic and formative anime poor ratings, because usually it's not that they're bad, just that they haven't aged particularly well.
Super Dimension Fortress Macross is an early 80's mecha anime about a war with aliens. It was intended (according to some reasearch I did) as a modest parody of the original Mobile Suit Gundam, but it quickly became its own serious series. For me personally, the oddest thing was seeing that the series was responsible for a number of mecha designs which were used in BattleTech, a game I thought was totally awesome when I was 12. This is because the rights for Macross' use and distribution in the United States caused it to be combined with two other series to make Robotech.
The series itself breaks a number of traditional conventions over its knee, and I do appreciate that. The main character, Ichijo Hikaru, is not a super-ace unstoppable superman, and feels very real and believable (at least until late in the series, but I'll get to that in a bit). Lynn Minmay also feels like a relatively normal girl thrown into extraordinary circumstances, and shows believable confusion at her sudden popularity and such things.
The alien invaders (The Zentradi) are an interesting take on a supremely militaristic society, having an... unusual reaction to human culture, which creates a much different dynamic surrounding the conflict than most series present.
Now I'm praising it an awful lot, so why did I give it only a C? Well, the animation has aged very poorly and the romance plot, which is very important to the development of the series as a whole, drags on, with the main characters becoming incredibly self-absorbed and thoughtless by the end to justify failing to resolve it. Sound familiar? It should, because it's a very modern harem series conceit, appearing about 20 years early.
Finally, episode 27 wraps the series up nicely and provides a superb finishing point for the series... which is why it's a shame that the series is 36 episodes long. The final 9 episodes kind of jog around, feeling epoxyed on at the last minute to keep cashing in on a popular series. That's not the sort of thing that happens in modern anime, and it's something I personally really like about it as an art form, and Macross' actual ending episode feels kind of out of nowhere, failing to wrap up a lot of supporting characters' stories and generally leaving us hanging with regards to conclusion.
It IS a classic, don't get me wrong, and not unreasonably so, it has some genuinely moving sections and a very thoughtful interpretation of culture and culture shock, but considered as a whole the experience falls short of a lot of more complex modern stories.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Gundam SEED Destiny
Gundam SEED Destiny: C
So it took me a while to finish this series, as I started it a while ago and split the watching between the first 35 episodes and the last 15, but here it is, better late than never.
There's a lot of debate (or so I hear) between the original SEED and SEED Destiny as to which is the superior series. I've wound up giving SEED Destiny a lower grade than I gave SEED for weird reasons, especially in that, for the most part, I found Destiny to be more engaging a story than SEED, so perhaps it's because I split my viewing in half.
To provide a little background, the series begins a year and a half after SEED lets off, and introduces us to a new protagonist, Shinn Asuka who immediately sets himself apart from his predecessor Kira Yamato by being gung-ho and unhesitating at jumping into combat to fight for his ideals and his people. And I really liked Shinn, he was a refreshing alternate outlook on 'The Hero,' he's got a temper, falls in love easily and is generally a bit prickly but a good guy and someone I could relate to without Kira's constant hesitation and insistence that he doesn't want to fight.
SEED Destiny's plot is also more complicated, the characters do an intricate dance of friendship, love, duty and loss that remains interesting and quite fresh...
Up until, just like SEED, the last seven or eight episodes, when it seems as though the series goes "okay, that's enough of that, now one side has to win, so the other side goes ahead and does something heinously evil and then loses." Just like SEED. And that's ultimately why I had to grade it lower, because it was both a bigger disappointment than SEED was and because I would have thought they'd have known better than to do the exact same thing a second time.
I also need to bitch about Kira Yamato a little bit more. I didn't mind him so much in SEED, he was a little self-righteous, but he made mistakes, suffered, got angry and emotional, lost occasionally, learned and grew as a person and I could appreciate all that. In SEED Destiny, he is never wrong, learns nothing, the only evidence we have that he ever doubts anything is when he tells us after the fact that he wasn't sure what he was doing was the right thing, (it was) and is only so much as frightened once in the entire series, which he promptly recovers from.
Would I recommend SEED Destiny? I... have to say yes, because the early series is really good, and I really do like the perspective that Shinn gives, because I really like watching sympathetic characters, even protagonists, fight each other, but the almost cop-out ending was disappointing and weakened SEED by association.
I begin to see why people say the Universal Century Gundam series are better... I mean, Zeta may have had the most singularly downer ending of any series I've ever seen (including Neon Genesis Evangelion but maybe not Bokurano), but at least the ending was satisfying, and didn't feel like the villains were being uncharacteristically incautious or vile.
So it took me a while to finish this series, as I started it a while ago and split the watching between the first 35 episodes and the last 15, but here it is, better late than never.
There's a lot of debate (or so I hear) between the original SEED and SEED Destiny as to which is the superior series. I've wound up giving SEED Destiny a lower grade than I gave SEED for weird reasons, especially in that, for the most part, I found Destiny to be more engaging a story than SEED, so perhaps it's because I split my viewing in half.
To provide a little background, the series begins a year and a half after SEED lets off, and introduces us to a new protagonist, Shinn Asuka who immediately sets himself apart from his predecessor Kira Yamato by being gung-ho and unhesitating at jumping into combat to fight for his ideals and his people. And I really liked Shinn, he was a refreshing alternate outlook on 'The Hero,' he's got a temper, falls in love easily and is generally a bit prickly but a good guy and someone I could relate to without Kira's constant hesitation and insistence that he doesn't want to fight.
SEED Destiny's plot is also more complicated, the characters do an intricate dance of friendship, love, duty and loss that remains interesting and quite fresh...
Up until, just like SEED, the last seven or eight episodes, when it seems as though the series goes "okay, that's enough of that, now one side has to win, so the other side goes ahead and does something heinously evil and then loses." Just like SEED. And that's ultimately why I had to grade it lower, because it was both a bigger disappointment than SEED was and because I would have thought they'd have known better than to do the exact same thing a second time.
I also need to bitch about Kira Yamato a little bit more. I didn't mind him so much in SEED, he was a little self-righteous, but he made mistakes, suffered, got angry and emotional, lost occasionally, learned and grew as a person and I could appreciate all that. In SEED Destiny, he is never wrong, learns nothing, the only evidence we have that he ever doubts anything is when he tells us after the fact that he wasn't sure what he was doing was the right thing, (it was) and is only so much as frightened once in the entire series, which he promptly recovers from.
Would I recommend SEED Destiny? I... have to say yes, because the early series is really good, and I really do like the perspective that Shinn gives, because I really like watching sympathetic characters, even protagonists, fight each other, but the almost cop-out ending was disappointing and weakened SEED by association.
I begin to see why people say the Universal Century Gundam series are better... I mean, Zeta may have had the most singularly downer ending of any series I've ever seen (including Neon Genesis Evangelion but maybe not Bokurano), but at least the ending was satisfying, and didn't feel like the villains were being uncharacteristically incautious or vile.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
FLCL
Well, due work being horrendous plus a couple new hobbies I've been away from Anime for a while. Due to unfortunate circumstances that this isn't the place for, I find myself with free time again, so tonight I rewatched a series which was, when I first watched it, my favorite series of all time. It was the second series (after Neon Genesis Evangelion) to hold that title, and held it for about 7 years, until I saw Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. So, without further ado:
FLCL: S
FLCL is a series that often stands out to American audiences as being 'one of those weird Japanese things that doesn't make any sense.' The reason for this is that it's a series that does not explain itself. The introduction that I was given for it was a single sentence that adds just enough context to the raw randomness of the series to make it not only enjoyable but also deeply and brilliantly symbolic: "This is a story about growing up."
The thing that strikes me the hardest about the series is its atmosphere, a unique blend of an unusual art style and the soundtrack provided by The Pillows, all guitars, bass and drums, carrying the emotion and nostalgia of adolescence.
The series is short, six episodes in total, and thus with the exception of Naota, our protagonist, development is simple and direct, but as I've mentioned, the series is laden down with symbolism, from the very subtle to the extremely obvious, in a way which greatly rewards repeated viewings, not only do little actions mean more and little details show up, but the very characters themselves are symbols, and their relationships with each other will remind almost anyone of loves and losses they've had, and that is the true brilliance of the series.
Like all series I truly adore, I hesitate to try to explain the plot, mostly because it would involve trying to explain about an alien corporation sending robots to earth through portals created inside people's heads, and how this relates to a normal middle school student and a strange woman on a vespa with an electric bass that she hits people in the head with.
No, really, these are the major plot points. I won't bother trying to explain about the Space Pirate King and how the Space Police are after him and how that figures into the series.
FLCL's only flaw is the dedication it requires to really get the most out of it. More than most series, this is one you'll want to watch twice, maybe five or six times, maybe even more, to really get what it's about. Fortunately, it's shorter than most series, and the music alone makes it worth watching over. Go check it out.
FLCL: S
FLCL is a series that often stands out to American audiences as being 'one of those weird Japanese things that doesn't make any sense.' The reason for this is that it's a series that does not explain itself. The introduction that I was given for it was a single sentence that adds just enough context to the raw randomness of the series to make it not only enjoyable but also deeply and brilliantly symbolic: "This is a story about growing up."
The thing that strikes me the hardest about the series is its atmosphere, a unique blend of an unusual art style and the soundtrack provided by The Pillows, all guitars, bass and drums, carrying the emotion and nostalgia of adolescence.
The series is short, six episodes in total, and thus with the exception of Naota, our protagonist, development is simple and direct, but as I've mentioned, the series is laden down with symbolism, from the very subtle to the extremely obvious, in a way which greatly rewards repeated viewings, not only do little actions mean more and little details show up, but the very characters themselves are symbols, and their relationships with each other will remind almost anyone of loves and losses they've had, and that is the true brilliance of the series.
Like all series I truly adore, I hesitate to try to explain the plot, mostly because it would involve trying to explain about an alien corporation sending robots to earth through portals created inside people's heads, and how this relates to a normal middle school student and a strange woman on a vespa with an electric bass that she hits people in the head with.
No, really, these are the major plot points. I won't bother trying to explain about the Space Pirate King and how the Space Police are after him and how that figures into the series.
FLCL's only flaw is the dedication it requires to really get the most out of it. More than most series, this is one you'll want to watch twice, maybe five or six times, maybe even more, to really get what it's about. Fortunately, it's shorter than most series, and the music alone makes it worth watching over. Go check it out.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Love Hina
Love Hina: B
This is an older series, one I hadn't watched in a decade, and a very contentious one at that. Love Hina is infamous for popularizing two major tropes which would become ubiquitously known in anime in the first decade of the 21st century: the Harem Series and the Tsundere. Both of these tropes are also renowned for being blatant wish fulfillment on the part of the young male audience, which is very much looked down upon by our culture (both the idea that a lot of girls would all fall for the same guy and the entire Tsundere concept, which I could write an essay on alone). Love Hina was by no means the first series to use these elements, but it was one of the most popular examples, popular enough to be the standard from which all later versions of the theme would deviate from.
I first watched it in 2002, during my first flirtation with anime on a substantial level, beyond just watching what I could on KTEH. I remembered, at that time, actually really enjoying it, despite the somewhat unfortunate implications of it all, the absurdity of the girls liking someone like Keitaro (who is, like most Harem protagonists, a classic well-meaning loser), and all that. And since it's been most of a decade since I'd watched it, I figured, why not watch it again. So I did.
I'm pleased, if surprised, to say that it's pretty much exactly like I remember it. Judged on its own merits, it ranks a B, just barely. I almost gave it a C+, but overall, the characters are solid, the humor is reasonable, and a lot of the things which many people rate as "dude not okay" (mostly involving the massive amount of unjust violence perpetrated on Keitaro) just don't register for me.
It's a classic series, and I certainly wouldn't recommend it to anyone who is bothered by anything out of the Harem genre, because like I've mentioned, it very much epitomizes it. But if you want to know what all the fuss is about, and get a sense of the best-known example, here it is.
This is an older series, one I hadn't watched in a decade, and a very contentious one at that. Love Hina is infamous for popularizing two major tropes which would become ubiquitously known in anime in the first decade of the 21st century: the Harem Series and the Tsundere. Both of these tropes are also renowned for being blatant wish fulfillment on the part of the young male audience, which is very much looked down upon by our culture (both the idea that a lot of girls would all fall for the same guy and the entire Tsundere concept, which I could write an essay on alone). Love Hina was by no means the first series to use these elements, but it was one of the most popular examples, popular enough to be the standard from which all later versions of the theme would deviate from.
I first watched it in 2002, during my first flirtation with anime on a substantial level, beyond just watching what I could on KTEH. I remembered, at that time, actually really enjoying it, despite the somewhat unfortunate implications of it all, the absurdity of the girls liking someone like Keitaro (who is, like most Harem protagonists, a classic well-meaning loser), and all that. And since it's been most of a decade since I'd watched it, I figured, why not watch it again. So I did.
I'm pleased, if surprised, to say that it's pretty much exactly like I remember it. Judged on its own merits, it ranks a B, just barely. I almost gave it a C+, but overall, the characters are solid, the humor is reasonable, and a lot of the things which many people rate as "dude not okay" (mostly involving the massive amount of unjust violence perpetrated on Keitaro) just don't register for me.
It's a classic series, and I certainly wouldn't recommend it to anyone who is bothered by anything out of the Harem genre, because like I've mentioned, it very much epitomizes it. But if you want to know what all the fuss is about, and get a sense of the best-known example, here it is.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Dog Days
Dog Days: B+
So this is another fresh-off-the-air series from Japan, just over. Shinku, a normal junior high school athlete finds himself transported into a strange world of cat and dog-people, and the dog girl princess explains that he has been summoned to be their hero in their war against the cat people. This sounds awfully serious, until he learns that war in this world is an exceptionally polite affair in which nobody dies, people are rarely injured beyond going into harmless ball-forms of their animal type, and that the entire thing is broadcast to both nations in a manner not unlike a sporting event. Realizing that this is the best world ever, Shinku throws himself into the role of Hero and makes friends with the Princess, her captain of the guard, and even quite a few of the cat-people commanders, as war is for fun in this world, and wins and losses rarely result in hard feelings. The only problem is that the's no way to return a Hero back to his homeworld, and Shinku only has two weeks of spring break...
Dog Days is an incredibly lighthearted series with little in the way of substance. Fan service runs oddly high for how innocent the characters themselves seem to be, overall, and the series is more than a little saccharine. This mostly pales, however, to how thoroughly it manages to be really fun and adorable. Seriously, if I could get a Dog Days version of Dynasty Warriors, I would play it so much more than I play regular Dynasty Warriors. (Especially if they kept the fan service levels and my idea that for KO animations named characters suffer critical clothing damage.)
Due to the relative lightness of its plot and characterization, I wouldn't recommend this series to anyone who doesn't appreciate moe as an art form, as aside from their unique approach to warfare (which is worth checking out just for the idea), the series provides few surprises. If light-hearted cuteness sounds like your thing, check it out. But don't hope for a deep and engaging plot, just relax and enjoy the silliness.
So this is another fresh-off-the-air series from Japan, just over. Shinku, a normal junior high school athlete finds himself transported into a strange world of cat and dog-people, and the dog girl princess explains that he has been summoned to be their hero in their war against the cat people. This sounds awfully serious, until he learns that war in this world is an exceptionally polite affair in which nobody dies, people are rarely injured beyond going into harmless ball-forms of their animal type, and that the entire thing is broadcast to both nations in a manner not unlike a sporting event. Realizing that this is the best world ever, Shinku throws himself into the role of Hero and makes friends with the Princess, her captain of the guard, and even quite a few of the cat-people commanders, as war is for fun in this world, and wins and losses rarely result in hard feelings. The only problem is that the's no way to return a Hero back to his homeworld, and Shinku only has two weeks of spring break...
Dog Days is an incredibly lighthearted series with little in the way of substance. Fan service runs oddly high for how innocent the characters themselves seem to be, overall, and the series is more than a little saccharine. This mostly pales, however, to how thoroughly it manages to be really fun and adorable. Seriously, if I could get a Dog Days version of Dynasty Warriors, I would play it so much more than I play regular Dynasty Warriors. (Especially if they kept the fan service levels and my idea that for KO animations named characters suffer critical clothing damage.)
Due to the relative lightness of its plot and characterization, I wouldn't recommend this series to anyone who doesn't appreciate moe as an art form, as aside from their unique approach to warfare (which is worth checking out just for the idea), the series provides few surprises. If light-hearted cuteness sounds like your thing, check it out. But don't hope for a deep and engaging plot, just relax and enjoy the silliness.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Pani Poni Dash!
Pani Poni Dash!: B+
Another series directed by my favorite director in the Anime business, Akiyuki Shinbo, though one of his earlier works. Like Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (which Shinbo also directed), it is a slice of life series taking place at a high school and focusing on a very unusual teacher and their collection of very unusual (and predominantly female) students, and, like Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, it makes extensive use of cultural reference, non sequitur humor and absurdity (though for the western viewer, cultural reference and absurdity often seem like the same thing). Pani Poni Dash! (a name which does not make sense after you've seen the series) revolves around the students of Rebecca Miyamoto, a ten-year-old genius who has returned to Japan to teach high school.
As a slice of life series, there isn't enough plot to speak of, which does make room for more humor, misunderstandings and general comedic sociopathy among the cast. It's fun and doesn't take itself seriously, the characters manage to be both caricatures and individuals at the same time and overall the humor holds up very well so long as you don't try to catch every single reference the series throws out.
All that said, it's a difficult series to recommend to people. It's not brilliant, but it's good for a laugh, it's not lavishly animated but it's never painful to watch, and while I have very few criticisms of it I'm not entirely sure what sort of person absolutely must see this series. I suppose if I had to criticize it I'd say that it doesn't really go anywhere: not that it really has anywhere it needs to go, it's a slice of life show.
So I guess in short: if you're into watching truly bizarre high school-ish antics, check it out. If you're looking for something with a bit more story and meaning, skip it.
Another series directed by my favorite director in the Anime business, Akiyuki Shinbo, though one of his earlier works. Like Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (which Shinbo also directed), it is a slice of life series taking place at a high school and focusing on a very unusual teacher and their collection of very unusual (and predominantly female) students, and, like Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, it makes extensive use of cultural reference, non sequitur humor and absurdity (though for the western viewer, cultural reference and absurdity often seem like the same thing). Pani Poni Dash! (a name which does not make sense after you've seen the series) revolves around the students of Rebecca Miyamoto, a ten-year-old genius who has returned to Japan to teach high school.
As a slice of life series, there isn't enough plot to speak of, which does make room for more humor, misunderstandings and general comedic sociopathy among the cast. It's fun and doesn't take itself seriously, the characters manage to be both caricatures and individuals at the same time and overall the humor holds up very well so long as you don't try to catch every single reference the series throws out.
All that said, it's a difficult series to recommend to people. It's not brilliant, but it's good for a laugh, it's not lavishly animated but it's never painful to watch, and while I have very few criticisms of it I'm not entirely sure what sort of person absolutely must see this series. I suppose if I had to criticize it I'd say that it doesn't really go anywhere: not that it really has anywhere it needs to go, it's a slice of life show.
So I guess in short: if you're into watching truly bizarre high school-ish antics, check it out. If you're looking for something with a bit more story and meaning, skip it.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Maria+Holic
Maria+Holic: B
So, I believe I've mentioned my love of the director Akiyuki Shinbo before (Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Bakemonogatari). It's to the point where I will watch anything he's directed simply because he's directed it, and so, with some reservation, I finally started watching Maria+Holic.
I was reluctant because the pitch for the series gave me reservations: a lesbian schoolgirl named Kanako attends an all-girl's catholic school (in Japan, this is a bigger, slightly more comedic deal, due to the relative non-presence of Christianity), where she encounters a lovely girl named Mariya who is actually a boy in disguise. Having found out his secret, he promptly browbeats her with the fact that he is the former headmaster's grandchild into keeping his secret and generally tolerating his abuse.
I don't think it's difficult to see why that pitch would raise the heckles of forward-thinking audiences, and indeed, for the first two episodes I was a little on edge around the entire subject. But as the cast is introduced, the series focuses more around Kanako's difficulties keeping her fantasies under control and trying to make friends and be accepted and surviving having her heart broken by her mostly-straight classmates, while doing her best to avoid Mariya's wrath. Kanako is portrayed as so outstandingly weak against pretty girls (and, in fact, Mariya, when he's acting girly and dressing sexy, which he does extensively) that it's very difficult to accept her suffering as, if not quite truly deserved, at least as being partially her own fault.
The series also makes extensive use of Akiyuki Shinbo's traditional style of layered reference, fourth-wall-busting humor, extensive art shifts and downright surgical use of fan service, all of which I, personally, find extremely interesting to experience.
Overall, Maria+Holic is an odd concept written very well and brilliantly executed. The comedy is full of schadenfreude, and anyone who is looking for a genuine and honest look at the difficulties of homosexual teenagers will be disappointed, anyone who can appreciate a little black humor at the expense of a girl who thinks like a 30-year-old man will find something to laugh at.
So, I believe I've mentioned my love of the director Akiyuki Shinbo before (Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Bakemonogatari). It's to the point where I will watch anything he's directed simply because he's directed it, and so, with some reservation, I finally started watching Maria+Holic.
I was reluctant because the pitch for the series gave me reservations: a lesbian schoolgirl named Kanako attends an all-girl's catholic school (in Japan, this is a bigger, slightly more comedic deal, due to the relative non-presence of Christianity), where she encounters a lovely girl named Mariya who is actually a boy in disguise. Having found out his secret, he promptly browbeats her with the fact that he is the former headmaster's grandchild into keeping his secret and generally tolerating his abuse.
I don't think it's difficult to see why that pitch would raise the heckles of forward-thinking audiences, and indeed, for the first two episodes I was a little on edge around the entire subject. But as the cast is introduced, the series focuses more around Kanako's difficulties keeping her fantasies under control and trying to make friends and be accepted and surviving having her heart broken by her mostly-straight classmates, while doing her best to avoid Mariya's wrath. Kanako is portrayed as so outstandingly weak against pretty girls (and, in fact, Mariya, when he's acting girly and dressing sexy, which he does extensively) that it's very difficult to accept her suffering as, if not quite truly deserved, at least as being partially her own fault.
The series also makes extensive use of Akiyuki Shinbo's traditional style of layered reference, fourth-wall-busting humor, extensive art shifts and downright surgical use of fan service, all of which I, personally, find extremely interesting to experience.
Overall, Maria+Holic is an odd concept written very well and brilliantly executed. The comedy is full of schadenfreude, and anyone who is looking for a genuine and honest look at the difficulties of homosexual teenagers will be disappointed, anyone who can appreciate a little black humor at the expense of a girl who thinks like a 30-year-old man will find something to laugh at.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Gintama (Episodes 1-81)
Jeez, it's been a while since I've updated.
There are a number of reasons for that, but the main one is that I bought a PS3 and have been playing BlazBlue: Continuum Shift, Final Fantasy XIII, Prototype and Arcana Heart 3 rather than watching anime. Then I started watching again, and I decided to watch Gintama of all things, a 201 episode series. Unlike most such long series undertakings, Gintama is episodic and ridiculous enough that I don't actually feel the need to finish it (I've gotten through 81 episodes and enjoyed myself but I don't really need more, I don't think).
So, Gintama.
I haven't watched the entire thing, and it's a very different beast from anything I've reviewed so far, so I'm going to tentatively give it a B. This is actually high praise seeing as I watched a full 80 episodes and one of the things I judge very strictly on is how well a series uses the time it takes up. Gintama is shamelessly episodic and scarcely has a plot to call a plot: filler isn't so much an unfortunate necessity as a way of life for the show, but since it has thoroughly embraced it, it works out quite well.
The primary premise of the series is that, in the middle of Edo-era Japan, a group of anthropomorphic animal aliens invaded earth and subdued the local populace. A large number of samurai resisted the invasion, but the resistance fell apart as the government had already surrendered. Among these samurai was Sakata Gintoki, who now works as a "Yorozuya," a jack-of-all-trades who will do any odd job for enough money to pay the rent. Gintoki is a lazy, slightly perverted, immature, self-centered jerk with a heart of gold who loves his friends and has dedicated himself to what he believes is most important in life. He is accompanied by his "apprentice" Shinpachi and a young alien girl who he took in named Kagura, but the setting and the character's work mostly serve as a framing device for screwball comedy, social commentary and japanese pop cultural in-jokes.
The series has no fourth wall, with the characters being actively aware they're in an anime (despite the fact that they also read manga), and indeed often trying to prevent each other from doing things that would get them cancelled. Gintoki's laziness is occasionally countered by threats of him no longer being the main character of the show, and they are not afraid to poke fun at themselves: during a clip show episode, they comment how Kagura's figure has regressed since her first appearance, then move on to re-dubbing over lines from previous episodes with the commenting character's voice during the clip show.
It noticeably violently averts traditional fan service and the many of the characters are deliberately drawn as being somewhat plain and unattractive, if not downright ugly. The show also deliberately stretches the bounds of what they are allowed to broadcast and the boundaries of taste, having a particular penchant for toilet humor, though generally avoiding sex jokes while remaining exceptionally puerile. The counter to this is that when it (very occasionally) decides to do a serious plot, it does an excellent job of maintaining the series' general humor and treating the serious plot with just enough gravity to allow it to be taken seriously, a combination which deserves sincere commendation.
Gintama is a very unusual series, and very different from what I usually watch, but I highly recommend it to anyone who's had it up to here with cute, fan service, over-the-top violence or oh-so-serious subject matter. If extremely crude, self-referential humor or unattractive characters get on your nerves, go ahead and stay away.
There are a number of reasons for that, but the main one is that I bought a PS3 and have been playing BlazBlue: Continuum Shift, Final Fantasy XIII, Prototype and Arcana Heart 3 rather than watching anime. Then I started watching again, and I decided to watch Gintama of all things, a 201 episode series. Unlike most such long series undertakings, Gintama is episodic and ridiculous enough that I don't actually feel the need to finish it (I've gotten through 81 episodes and enjoyed myself but I don't really need more, I don't think).
So, Gintama.
I haven't watched the entire thing, and it's a very different beast from anything I've reviewed so far, so I'm going to tentatively give it a B. This is actually high praise seeing as I watched a full 80 episodes and one of the things I judge very strictly on is how well a series uses the time it takes up. Gintama is shamelessly episodic and scarcely has a plot to call a plot: filler isn't so much an unfortunate necessity as a way of life for the show, but since it has thoroughly embraced it, it works out quite well.
The primary premise of the series is that, in the middle of Edo-era Japan, a group of anthropomorphic animal aliens invaded earth and subdued the local populace. A large number of samurai resisted the invasion, but the resistance fell apart as the government had already surrendered. Among these samurai was Sakata Gintoki, who now works as a "Yorozuya," a jack-of-all-trades who will do any odd job for enough money to pay the rent. Gintoki is a lazy, slightly perverted, immature, self-centered jerk with a heart of gold who loves his friends and has dedicated himself to what he believes is most important in life. He is accompanied by his "apprentice" Shinpachi and a young alien girl who he took in named Kagura, but the setting and the character's work mostly serve as a framing device for screwball comedy, social commentary and japanese pop cultural in-jokes.
The series has no fourth wall, with the characters being actively aware they're in an anime (despite the fact that they also read manga), and indeed often trying to prevent each other from doing things that would get them cancelled. Gintoki's laziness is occasionally countered by threats of him no longer being the main character of the show, and they are not afraid to poke fun at themselves: during a clip show episode, they comment how Kagura's figure has regressed since her first appearance, then move on to re-dubbing over lines from previous episodes with the commenting character's voice during the clip show.
It noticeably violently averts traditional fan service and the many of the characters are deliberately drawn as being somewhat plain and unattractive, if not downright ugly. The show also deliberately stretches the bounds of what they are allowed to broadcast and the boundaries of taste, having a particular penchant for toilet humor, though generally avoiding sex jokes while remaining exceptionally puerile. The counter to this is that when it (very occasionally) decides to do a serious plot, it does an excellent job of maintaining the series' general humor and treating the serious plot with just enough gravity to allow it to be taken seriously, a combination which deserves sincere commendation.
Gintama is a very unusual series, and very different from what I usually watch, but I highly recommend it to anyone who's had it up to here with cute, fan service, over-the-top violence or oh-so-serious subject matter. If extremely crude, self-referential humor or unattractive characters get on your nerves, go ahead and stay away.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Kore wa Zombie desu ka?
Kore wa Zombie desu ka?: C++
I picked this series up quite a while ago (it was a first-quarter 2011 series), but the sub group that I'd been following for it only got up to about episode 6. I rewatched a bit and decided I really liked the opening theme, and came to want to see the ending, so I did.
KoreZombie (as I often abbreviate it) is certainly not for everyone. It's fan-service heavy, rooted in bizarre mythology jokes and the plot is pretty weak. It's a comedic harem anime, of the sort where the protagonist is a bit of a lech, or at least enjoying the fan service as much as the target audience is, and therefore he (and by extension, we, the viewer) must be punished. KoreZombie takes this idea and runs with it.
The main character is a zombie (though their zombies are different) and, mostly because of the necromancer who resurrected him, he begins acquiring an ever-larger collection of girls who live with or near him, or are accidentally engaged to him, or just like having him around. Hijinks and costume damage ensue: the plot isn't exactly twisted but deals with the fact that our necromancer girl is a genuinely good necromancer, and what that entails, ethically.
Now all that sounds fairly normal with the extra bit of "oh, he's a zombie," but that's really not all the show has going for it. It is out-and-out bizarre and over the top, and it will make you laugh from the sheer absurdity of the situations, and it will embarrass you with what it puts poor Ayumu through to take care of his girls, starting with the end of the very first episode and only going up from there.
It's a good fan servicey comedy series, and if you're the sort of person who enjoys that, check it out. If panty shots or clothing damage sound like they might get on your nerves, stay away.
I picked this series up quite a while ago (it was a first-quarter 2011 series), but the sub group that I'd been following for it only got up to about episode 6. I rewatched a bit and decided I really liked the opening theme, and came to want to see the ending, so I did.
KoreZombie (as I often abbreviate it) is certainly not for everyone. It's fan-service heavy, rooted in bizarre mythology jokes and the plot is pretty weak. It's a comedic harem anime, of the sort where the protagonist is a bit of a lech, or at least enjoying the fan service as much as the target audience is, and therefore he (and by extension, we, the viewer) must be punished. KoreZombie takes this idea and runs with it.
The main character is a zombie (though their zombies are different) and, mostly because of the necromancer who resurrected him, he begins acquiring an ever-larger collection of girls who live with or near him, or are accidentally engaged to him, or just like having him around. Hijinks and costume damage ensue: the plot isn't exactly twisted but deals with the fact that our necromancer girl is a genuinely good necromancer, and what that entails, ethically.
Now all that sounds fairly normal with the extra bit of "oh, he's a zombie," but that's really not all the show has going for it. It is out-and-out bizarre and over the top, and it will make you laugh from the sheer absurdity of the situations, and it will embarrass you with what it puts poor Ayumu through to take care of his girls, starting with the end of the very first episode and only going up from there.
It's a good fan servicey comedy series, and if you're the sort of person who enjoys that, check it out. If panty shots or clothing damage sound like they might get on your nerves, stay away.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Haruhi Suzumiya
Haruhi Suzumiya (TV): AA+
If you've stood next to anyone who knows about anime in the past five years, you've heard the name "Haruhi Suzumiya," it's one of the single most popular and hyped series of the last decade and it's treated by older anime fans with the kind of obsessive reverence that Naruto, Bleach and One Piece are given by the younger generation.
I didn't watch it until 2009, partially because I (like most people) hate hype and the pitch of the series ("There's this high school girl and she's god, and her friends need to keep her from finding out") didn't really grab me. But eventually I gave in and sat down to watch it, expecting the worst.
I was shocked to find that it deserves the better part of the hype it gets. Not only is the animation and voice acting absolutely stunning, but it is extremely well-written, the story is detailed, brilliantly designed and highly rewarding of multiple watchings.
I specifically say the story is well written rather than the plot is well written, because as you may have also heard, this series stubbornly refuses to fall into a single genre, and instead of having an overarching plot, it follows the main characters through their adventures. There are plots, the original arc, "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya", has one, though the later "The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya" arc is more like a "the making of" story of the rather painful student movie episode. The effect of this is that the fun of the series is in watching the characters act and interact, which, if you're willing to buy into the series, is a fascinating pastime. It's so fascinating because the narrator, Kyon, is exceptionally unreliable, and we are not privy to any other character's thoughts, so the only personality we can be certain of is what we infer, and there is clearly more going on than both Kyon and the audience are told.
I really wanted to give the series an S ranking, but upon rewatching it, it doesn't quite meet my criteria. It is in almost all ways a supremely stellar example of anime as an art form and a storytelling medium, but it lacks the "extra" something required by the formula. Nevertheless, this series has brilliant art, brilliant music, brilliant voicing and sound direction, brilliant writing and brilliant pacing. That being said, I will give it a recommendation I give most S-rank series.
Watch the first six episodes (of chronological order). If you're still not interested in it, then drop it, but I think most people will find that after the cleverness and brilliance of that two hours of animation that they're curious about exactly what happens to Kyon, Haruhi, Mikuru, Yuki and Koizumi.
As kind of a post-script, I should also mention that the series aired in non-chronological order, and then, when it got a second season, those episodes didn't fit in any one point in the series either, instead being interwoven with the original series episodes. Most DVDs show them in proper chronological order, and the wikipedia episode list will also provide the order the episodes aired in when they aired in 2009, including the second season.
There's also a movie ("The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya") which acts as a capstone arc to the anime series, though it does not come close to finishing the plot laid out in the novels where the series originated. I'll review the movie separately, even though it doesn't make sense without having seen the anime.
If you've stood next to anyone who knows about anime in the past five years, you've heard the name "Haruhi Suzumiya," it's one of the single most popular and hyped series of the last decade and it's treated by older anime fans with the kind of obsessive reverence that Naruto, Bleach and One Piece are given by the younger generation.
I didn't watch it until 2009, partially because I (like most people) hate hype and the pitch of the series ("There's this high school girl and she's god, and her friends need to keep her from finding out") didn't really grab me. But eventually I gave in and sat down to watch it, expecting the worst.
I was shocked to find that it deserves the better part of the hype it gets. Not only is the animation and voice acting absolutely stunning, but it is extremely well-written, the story is detailed, brilliantly designed and highly rewarding of multiple watchings.
I specifically say the story is well written rather than the plot is well written, because as you may have also heard, this series stubbornly refuses to fall into a single genre, and instead of having an overarching plot, it follows the main characters through their adventures. There are plots, the original arc, "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya", has one, though the later "The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya" arc is more like a "the making of" story of the rather painful student movie episode. The effect of this is that the fun of the series is in watching the characters act and interact, which, if you're willing to buy into the series, is a fascinating pastime. It's so fascinating because the narrator, Kyon, is exceptionally unreliable, and we are not privy to any other character's thoughts, so the only personality we can be certain of is what we infer, and there is clearly more going on than both Kyon and the audience are told.
I really wanted to give the series an S ranking, but upon rewatching it, it doesn't quite meet my criteria. It is in almost all ways a supremely stellar example of anime as an art form and a storytelling medium, but it lacks the "extra" something required by the formula. Nevertheless, this series has brilliant art, brilliant music, brilliant voicing and sound direction, brilliant writing and brilliant pacing. That being said, I will give it a recommendation I give most S-rank series.
Watch the first six episodes (of chronological order). If you're still not interested in it, then drop it, but I think most people will find that after the cleverness and brilliance of that two hours of animation that they're curious about exactly what happens to Kyon, Haruhi, Mikuru, Yuki and Koizumi.
As kind of a post-script, I should also mention that the series aired in non-chronological order, and then, when it got a second season, those episodes didn't fit in any one point in the series either, instead being interwoven with the original series episodes. Most DVDs show them in proper chronological order, and the wikipedia episode list will also provide the order the episodes aired in when they aired in 2009, including the second season.
There's also a movie ("The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya") which acts as a capstone arc to the anime series, though it does not come close to finishing the plot laid out in the novels where the series originated. I'll review the movie separately, even though it doesn't make sense without having seen the anime.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
K-On!
K-On! (Season 1): B+
K-On! (with one exclamation point, if it had two I would be referring to the second season) is a thirteen-episode slice of life series about the Light Music (meaning "pop music" really, and pronounced in Japanese keion) Club at Sakura All Girl's High School.
Being a slice of life series, there's not much in the way of plot, the series, like most slice of life series, is entirely character-driven, following the band throughout their high school life. There's very little way to describe in words what makes it such a solid example of its genre, as it shares most of its strong points with the other well-known and popular examples: Azumanga Daioh, Lucky Star and Hidamari Sketch.
The first season (13 episodes) suffers from a relatively poor animation budget, especially visible in the animation of hands, though the second season (26 episodes) is greatly improved in that area.
Aside from the animation problems, the only reason K-On only gets a high B and not an A is that it lacks broad-strokes appeal. While it is something of a comedy, the main joy of the show is simply in enjoying the girls being high school girls, which isn't exactly the sort of thing every viewer is going to be interested in; K-On is very thoroughly Seinen in its demographic appeal, and it shows. That said, K-On will make you wish you were in a band with a bunch of your friends, or had been in high school.
Don't watch K-On if you're looking for action, special effects or plot. Do watch K-On if the idea of just watching a bunch of girls go through high school appeals to you (especially if you can handle that the girls are all that we're here for).
K-On! (with one exclamation point, if it had two I would be referring to the second season) is a thirteen-episode slice of life series about the Light Music (meaning "pop music" really, and pronounced in Japanese keion) Club at Sakura All Girl's High School.
Being a slice of life series, there's not much in the way of plot, the series, like most slice of life series, is entirely character-driven, following the band throughout their high school life. There's very little way to describe in words what makes it such a solid example of its genre, as it shares most of its strong points with the other well-known and popular examples: Azumanga Daioh, Lucky Star and Hidamari Sketch.
The first season (13 episodes) suffers from a relatively poor animation budget, especially visible in the animation of hands, though the second season (26 episodes) is greatly improved in that area.
Aside from the animation problems, the only reason K-On only gets a high B and not an A is that it lacks broad-strokes appeal. While it is something of a comedy, the main joy of the show is simply in enjoying the girls being high school girls, which isn't exactly the sort of thing every viewer is going to be interested in; K-On is very thoroughly Seinen in its demographic appeal, and it shows. That said, K-On will make you wish you were in a band with a bunch of your friends, or had been in high school.
Don't watch K-On if you're looking for action, special effects or plot. Do watch K-On if the idea of just watching a bunch of girls go through high school appeals to you (especially if you can handle that the girls are all that we're here for).
Saturday, May 7, 2011
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time: A
I don't remember when I first heard about this movie, but I resolved to see it a while back.
It's good enough that I don't really feel any need to explain it too much. There's a girl, right? And she learns that she can jump through time, right? There, you know most of what's going on in the movie.
What, you want more?
It's a story about growing up and making decisions and taking responsibility and coming to terms with yourself. It's got some romance in it. It's also short, about 100 minutes.
I wouldn't recommend it to people who aren't interested in interesting characters interacting, or who have trouble following mildly convoluted plots, or if you're looking for explosive action, ninja, fan service or gore. If you're basically anyone else, I very much recommend it.
I don't remember when I first heard about this movie, but I resolved to see it a while back.
It's good enough that I don't really feel any need to explain it too much. There's a girl, right? And she learns that she can jump through time, right? There, you know most of what's going on in the movie.
What, you want more?
It's a story about growing up and making decisions and taking responsibility and coming to terms with yourself. It's got some romance in it. It's also short, about 100 minutes.
I wouldn't recommend it to people who aren't interested in interesting characters interacting, or who have trouble following mildly convoluted plots, or if you're looking for explosive action, ninja, fan service or gore. If you're basically anyone else, I very much recommend it.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Shuffle!
Shuffle!: B
I first heard of Shuffle! (yes the exclamation point is part of the title) when I was looking at the tropes page for "star making role", and checking out some of my favorite voice actors, in this case Ms. Yuko Goto. Seeing as it was considered more important for her career than the later and much better-known Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, I determined it was probably worth watching.
Initial impressions were pretty meh. Our main character, Rin, lives with his childhood friend Kaede (voiced by Goto), the same age as he is, who is also exceptionally devoted to taking care of him and plainly attracted to him. It's revealed with little fanfare that in this world, demons and gods live side-by-side with humanity, after the opening of the gateway between the three planes ten years ago. The first episode kicks the series off by revealing that, some eight years previous, a young Rin won the hearts of the daughters of the lord of the Gods and the lord of the Demons, and now they'll be transferring to his school, moving in next door to him and won't he please pick one and marry her?
It sounds contrived and frankly weak, and I was extremely skeptical of the series' overall quality, but I kept watching, and the characters developed. The cast remains fairly stable in size, time is taken to increase depth rather than breadth, and as the series begins delving into histories which, while often fantastic, are not without merit as the series becomes an evolving discussion of how a group of girls who were all friends and all liked the same boy would behave. The series also strictly avoids having a single obvious "main girl" who's destined to win Rin's heart, which, combined with the series' willingness to have the girls in question gain and lose ground in the "race," actually makes for a compelling story of love, rejection and friendship in adversity.
It's not a supremely realistic treatment of the subject matter, but it's definitely much more interesting than most other harem series I've seen, which retain a strict status quo and a protagonist who is, for whatever reason, uninterested in actually advancing his relationships with the female cast.
And, as promised, Yuko Goto's character Kaede ultimately delivers an amazing performance in the later episodes, as her inner demons are finally faced.
If you're not interested in fan servicey harem anime, go ahead and skip it and you won't miss out, but if you're interested in a relatively intelligent and well-crafted look at the genre, you could do a lot worse than Shuffle!.
Final Note: There's a compilation OVA series, called "Shuffle! Memories" which I didn't watch, except for the last episode (which is an omake Fan Service episode), but as I understand is primarily a much shorter, re-cut version of the original series, and can probably safely be skipped.
I first heard of Shuffle! (yes the exclamation point is part of the title) when I was looking at the tropes page for "star making role", and checking out some of my favorite voice actors, in this case Ms. Yuko Goto. Seeing as it was considered more important for her career than the later and much better-known Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, I determined it was probably worth watching.
Initial impressions were pretty meh. Our main character, Rin, lives with his childhood friend Kaede (voiced by Goto), the same age as he is, who is also exceptionally devoted to taking care of him and plainly attracted to him. It's revealed with little fanfare that in this world, demons and gods live side-by-side with humanity, after the opening of the gateway between the three planes ten years ago. The first episode kicks the series off by revealing that, some eight years previous, a young Rin won the hearts of the daughters of the lord of the Gods and the lord of the Demons, and now they'll be transferring to his school, moving in next door to him and won't he please pick one and marry her?
It sounds contrived and frankly weak, and I was extremely skeptical of the series' overall quality, but I kept watching, and the characters developed. The cast remains fairly stable in size, time is taken to increase depth rather than breadth, and as the series begins delving into histories which, while often fantastic, are not without merit as the series becomes an evolving discussion of how a group of girls who were all friends and all liked the same boy would behave. The series also strictly avoids having a single obvious "main girl" who's destined to win Rin's heart, which, combined with the series' willingness to have the girls in question gain and lose ground in the "race," actually makes for a compelling story of love, rejection and friendship in adversity.
It's not a supremely realistic treatment of the subject matter, but it's definitely much more interesting than most other harem series I've seen, which retain a strict status quo and a protagonist who is, for whatever reason, uninterested in actually advancing his relationships with the female cast.
And, as promised, Yuko Goto's character Kaede ultimately delivers an amazing performance in the later episodes, as her inner demons are finally faced.
If you're not interested in fan servicey harem anime, go ahead and skip it and you won't miss out, but if you're interested in a relatively intelligent and well-crafted look at the genre, you could do a lot worse than Shuffle!.
Final Note: There's a compilation OVA series, called "Shuffle! Memories" which I didn't watch, except for the last episode (which is an omake Fan Service episode), but as I understand is primarily a much shorter, re-cut version of the original series, and can probably safely be skipped.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Lovely Complex
Lovely Complex: C
So I don't watch a lot of shojo anime (if you don't know the terminology for Japanese demographics, that's the for "little girls"), but due to the constraints of the aforementioned deal to watch everything my friend watches, I wound up watching this series.
It's about a very tall girl and a very short boy and the relationship that eventually blossoms between them. And really, given that it's shojo, the rest follows type: there are hurdles to them getting together, difficulties admitting they even like each other and the sort of issues I left behind in high school, all spelled out pretty plainly in a group of people who I all recognized (some of whom I remembered being, in all their high school idiocy). And, while I will acknowledge that I enjoyed high school more than a lot of people claim to have done so, I enjoyed being taken back there.
My criticisms of it revolve around its formulaic nature. Girl. Boy. Friends. Romance. Manzai comedy. There's not a lot more too it than that, but it does manage to stay amusing. For me, as a student of Japanese as a language, I found the series occurring primarily in the Kansai regional accent to be interesting to listen to, though less dedicated students of the language probably won't even notice.
It's worth watching if you're interested in light-hearted (if frustratingly drawn-out) high school romance with a bent toward honest humor and the awkwardness of high school (especially with a protagonist couple who don't fit the traditional gender ideals), but I can't recommend it on much beyond that.
So I don't watch a lot of shojo anime (if you don't know the terminology for Japanese demographics, that's the for "little girls"), but due to the constraints of the aforementioned deal to watch everything my friend watches, I wound up watching this series.
It's about a very tall girl and a very short boy and the relationship that eventually blossoms between them. And really, given that it's shojo, the rest follows type: there are hurdles to them getting together, difficulties admitting they even like each other and the sort of issues I left behind in high school, all spelled out pretty plainly in a group of people who I all recognized (some of whom I remembered being, in all their high school idiocy). And, while I will acknowledge that I enjoyed high school more than a lot of people claim to have done so, I enjoyed being taken back there.
My criticisms of it revolve around its formulaic nature. Girl. Boy. Friends. Romance. Manzai comedy. There's not a lot more too it than that, but it does manage to stay amusing. For me, as a student of Japanese as a language, I found the series occurring primarily in the Kansai regional accent to be interesting to listen to, though less dedicated students of the language probably won't even notice.
It's worth watching if you're interested in light-hearted (if frustratingly drawn-out) high school romance with a bent toward honest humor and the awkwardness of high school (especially with a protagonist couple who don't fit the traditional gender ideals), but I can't recommend it on much beyond that.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Katanagatari
Katanagatari: A
Katanagatari (a Japanese portmanteau, combining the word "sword" with the latter character of the word for "story") is the second anime series I've seen based off the writing of of Nisio Isin. The other is Bakemonogatari (Ghostory, another portmanteau, though it has nothing to do with Katanagatari), and both I have found to be absolutely exemplary stories in terms of characterization, pacing, crafting, and combining humor and drama.
The first thing a viewer of Katanagatari will notice is the uniquely simple and extraordinarily stylized animation style. The animation and backgrounds are exceptionally flat and cell-shaded in appearance, which gives a mythic tone appropriate to a story set in Shogunate Japan. The second interesting factor about the series is slightly more subtle: the series is provided in 12 1-hour (with commercials, realistically 50 minutes of animation) episodes, making its format extremely unusual. Originally the series was 12 chapters, one released each month, and corresponding to Togame and Shichika's travels in that month, the animated version aired three years later but used the same format: one episode per month, covering the main character's activities for that month.
The plot is easily summarized: "A strategist in the service of the Shogun named Togame convinces the swordless swordsman Yasuri Shichika to fall in love with her so that she can collect twelve legendary swords, the Perfected Deviant Blades of Shikizaki Kiki." If you noticed that there are twelve Deviant Blades and twelve episodes, give yourself a cookie: the couple obtain one sword in each episode, and indeed, each episode is named for the sword that they will deal with in that episode, usually via Shichika fighting the sword's current owner.
It sounds like a forgettable and formulaic shonen action series. It isn't. It is an emotional tale of conflict, manipulation, lies, deceit, betrayal, loyalty and fate. It is also incredibly bloody, with merely a handful of named characters surviving to the end of the story, and many of them not surviving the episode they are introduced. Despite this, their deaths are rarely brushed over or ignored, the characters discuss the fact that they are killing people and react reasonably and accordingly (or the lack of reaction is treated as a sign of insanity, in one case). It is an extremely grown-up story with an extremely juvenile premise, and so it appeals to a lot of nerds like myself.
Beautifully animated, creatively written, lovingly portrayed and heartbreakingly brutal, Katanagatari is a tale of swords: what it means to possess them, use them, and, ultimately, be them.
Katanagatari (a Japanese portmanteau, combining the word "sword" with the latter character of the word for "story") is the second anime series I've seen based off the writing of of Nisio Isin. The other is Bakemonogatari (Ghostory, another portmanteau, though it has nothing to do with Katanagatari), and both I have found to be absolutely exemplary stories in terms of characterization, pacing, crafting, and combining humor and drama.
The first thing a viewer of Katanagatari will notice is the uniquely simple and extraordinarily stylized animation style. The animation and backgrounds are exceptionally flat and cell-shaded in appearance, which gives a mythic tone appropriate to a story set in Shogunate Japan. The second interesting factor about the series is slightly more subtle: the series is provided in 12 1-hour (with commercials, realistically 50 minutes of animation) episodes, making its format extremely unusual. Originally the series was 12 chapters, one released each month, and corresponding to Togame and Shichika's travels in that month, the animated version aired three years later but used the same format: one episode per month, covering the main character's activities for that month.
The plot is easily summarized: "A strategist in the service of the Shogun named Togame convinces the swordless swordsman Yasuri Shichika to fall in love with her so that she can collect twelve legendary swords, the Perfected Deviant Blades of Shikizaki Kiki." If you noticed that there are twelve Deviant Blades and twelve episodes, give yourself a cookie: the couple obtain one sword in each episode, and indeed, each episode is named for the sword that they will deal with in that episode, usually via Shichika fighting the sword's current owner.
It sounds like a forgettable and formulaic shonen action series. It isn't. It is an emotional tale of conflict, manipulation, lies, deceit, betrayal, loyalty and fate. It is also incredibly bloody, with merely a handful of named characters surviving to the end of the story, and many of them not surviving the episode they are introduced. Despite this, their deaths are rarely brushed over or ignored, the characters discuss the fact that they are killing people and react reasonably and accordingly (or the lack of reaction is treated as a sign of insanity, in one case). It is an extremely grown-up story with an extremely juvenile premise, and so it appeals to a lot of nerds like myself.
Beautifully animated, creatively written, lovingly portrayed and heartbreakingly brutal, Katanagatari is a tale of swords: what it means to possess them, use them, and, ultimately, be them.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
New Cutie Honey
New Cutie Honey (OVA): D
So, I have a deal with one of my friends, that we'll both watch all the anime the other has seen. Since this friend's internet connection is much less reliable and his living situation and social tendencies much less inclined to make him do nothing but watch anime for entertainment, I don't have as much effort to put into the subject as he does with me, but every so often he'll pop something at me, like NCH.
Now, I know Cutie Honey is a big deal in Japan, and I am thankful for the opportunity to familiarize myself with it for the sake of catching the near-ubiquitous references to it. However, I really cannot praise any actual technical aspect of this version of the franchise at all. Contrived, pointlessly, obsessively fan servicey, with animation that simply didn't age well, and a wire-thin plot.
I could see people getting into the camp of it, or arguing that it's so bad it's good, but that just wasn't the mileage I got out of it.
I am curious to see other adaptations of the franchise though, if only to see if it's ever done well...
So, I have a deal with one of my friends, that we'll both watch all the anime the other has seen. Since this friend's internet connection is much less reliable and his living situation and social tendencies much less inclined to make him do nothing but watch anime for entertainment, I don't have as much effort to put into the subject as he does with me, but every so often he'll pop something at me, like NCH.
Now, I know Cutie Honey is a big deal in Japan, and I am thankful for the opportunity to familiarize myself with it for the sake of catching the near-ubiquitous references to it. However, I really cannot praise any actual technical aspect of this version of the franchise at all. Contrived, pointlessly, obsessively fan servicey, with animation that simply didn't age well, and a wire-thin plot.
I could see people getting into the camp of it, or arguing that it's so bad it's good, but that just wasn't the mileage I got out of it.
I am curious to see other adaptations of the franchise though, if only to see if it's ever done well...
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Puella Magi Madoka Magica: S
Congratulations to Studio Shaft for being the second studio I've ever given an S rating to, after Gainax.
Like every series that I rank S, I have very little to say about Madoka.
It's excellently crafted, stunningly animated and deeply thought-provoking.
Watch it.
Congratulations to Studio Shaft for being the second studio I've ever given an S rating to, after Gainax.
Like every series that I rank S, I have very little to say about Madoka.
It's excellently crafted, stunningly animated and deeply thought-provoking.
Watch it.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Shinryaku! Ikamusume
Shinryaku! Ikamusume: B++
Another practically brand new series, Shinryaku! Ikamusume (Literally, "Invasion! Squid Girl", or, if I were translating it into english, just "Squid Girl Invades!" probably) is a bizarre comedy about an anthropomorphic squid girl who comes to the surface world to subjugate it.
While her "squid powers" are actually quite impressive, her lack of attention span and invasion plan leave her a little confused as to the details of the surface world, and she winds up working at a beachside restaurant as a waitress, befriending the three siblings that run it, and coming to appreciate the surface world that she is one day going to conquer.
It's much better than it sounds. It's also even more surreal than it sounds. While Ika-chan ("ika" is squid, and her given name is "Ikamusume" or "Squid Girl", it's not a nickname) insists that she is a squid, she doesn't need to stay wet, can use her human body well enough (though not as well as her tentacle hair) and breathes air, it is pointed out by the other characters that she doesn't make sense when comparing her to real squid, but it's not really explored.
Wacky, off-the-wall and surprisingly light on fan service for a series that takes place almost entirely on a beach, it's definitely not something to miss if you're into weird Japanese screwball comedy anime.
Another practically brand new series, Shinryaku! Ikamusume (Literally, "Invasion! Squid Girl", or, if I were translating it into english, just "Squid Girl Invades!" probably) is a bizarre comedy about an anthropomorphic squid girl who comes to the surface world to subjugate it.
While her "squid powers" are actually quite impressive, her lack of attention span and invasion plan leave her a little confused as to the details of the surface world, and she winds up working at a beachside restaurant as a waitress, befriending the three siblings that run it, and coming to appreciate the surface world that she is one day going to conquer.
It's much better than it sounds. It's also even more surreal than it sounds. While Ika-chan ("ika" is squid, and her given name is "Ikamusume" or "Squid Girl", it's not a nickname) insists that she is a squid, she doesn't need to stay wet, can use her human body well enough (though not as well as her tentacle hair) and breathes air, it is pointed out by the other characters that she doesn't make sense when comparing her to real squid, but it's not really explored.
Wacky, off-the-wall and surprisingly light on fan service for a series that takes place almost entirely on a beach, it's definitely not something to miss if you're into weird Japanese screwball comedy anime.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Koihime Musou
Koihime Musou (Season 1): C
So, as a palette-cleansing anime after the extremely SRS Gundam SEED, I went back to watch a season of my favorite palette-cleansing series to date: Koihime Musou, which I most briefly described as "The unholy love child of Dynasty Warriors and the Touhou Project."
For those of you who don't know what either of those means, I shall elaborate. Koihime Musou is, at its core, a retelling of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a piece of literature which is the East Asian equivalent of the Iliad, both in terms of its historical accuracy and its general heroic flavor. It covers the end of the Han dynasty and the conflict leading up to the foundation of the Jin dynasty, the "Three Kingdoms" period, and deals with a number of characters who are archetypes whose very names carry deep meaning in the East due to their treatment in the fictionalized Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a historical novel written almost 800 years after the fact.
Koihime Musou takes these legendary warriors, tacticians and generals and makes them into cute anime girls, and has them do various silly, fan servicey things together in the name of fan service and comedy.
Due to the incredibly tongue-in-cheek nature of both the comedy and the fan service, along with the overall high-quality animation and how much of a loving rip-off of the classic from which it is derived make it genuinely fun to watch, if you're the sort of person who can forgive the lengths to which the series will go to get the protagonists to flash their underwear, take their clothes off and get into compromising positions, mostly either protesting or commenting on the fact that they're doing it.
Is it good? I could not say that with anything like a straight face. But it is funny, and the girls are fan servicey in their personalities as well as their outfits, and the series will often jump directly from barely-justified panty shots to extremely classy, clever wit and wordplay. For me, it is a guilty pleasure.
For anyone who can bring themselves to appreciate fan service with a knowing grin and humor on top of it, you might find yourself really enjoying it.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Gundam SEED
Gundam SEED: B
I was really hoping I could give it a B+, but the ending wound up falling a bit flat. Overall, it was a very well-orchestrated military drama/romance, and about as anti-war as you can get when your protagonists are flying around in totally awesome giant robots.
I didn't really understand why the Earth Forces and ZAFT were fighting towards the end, I thought maybe they could learn to get along due to their mutual love of horrific war crimes.
Ultimately, the series loses quite a bit for a weak ending and some poor explanation in the middle, it really felt like they just didn't have enough time in the last episode to wrap everything up and explain it all, though there is a second series in the same universe, which I am intending to watch, so maybe that will bother to explain what the deal with the seeds is.
One thing that I was very pleased with for most of the series was how grey the morality was. The good guys were good, but the bad guys weren't really that bad, it let us focus on the effect the war had on them as people, and the dehumanizing effects of loss and death. This weakens as the series gets closer to the finale, both as a natural progression of characters getting over their issues and more blatantly evil characters filling the void as the former sympathetic villains start changing allegiances. (Spoiler alert, Gundam pilots in a Gundam Series switch sides a lot...)
Overall: If you need an introduction to the anime juggernaut that is Gundam, Gundam SEED is certainly not a bad way to go, and the first forty episodes are a well-crafted, emotionally-charged drama. However, you may find the conclusion a little bit of a disappointment.
I was really hoping I could give it a B+, but the ending wound up falling a bit flat. Overall, it was a very well-orchestrated military drama/romance, and about as anti-war as you can get when your protagonists are flying around in totally awesome giant robots.
I didn't really understand why the Earth Forces and ZAFT were fighting towards the end, I thought maybe they could learn to get along due to their mutual love of horrific war crimes.
Ultimately, the series loses quite a bit for a weak ending and some poor explanation in the middle, it really felt like they just didn't have enough time in the last episode to wrap everything up and explain it all, though there is a second series in the same universe, which I am intending to watch, so maybe that will bother to explain what the deal with the seeds is.
One thing that I was very pleased with for most of the series was how grey the morality was. The good guys were good, but the bad guys weren't really that bad, it let us focus on the effect the war had on them as people, and the dehumanizing effects of loss and death. This weakens as the series gets closer to the finale, both as a natural progression of characters getting over their issues and more blatantly evil characters filling the void as the former sympathetic villains start changing allegiances. (Spoiler alert, Gundam pilots in a Gundam Series switch sides a lot...)
Overall: If you need an introduction to the anime juggernaut that is Gundam, Gundam SEED is certainly not a bad way to go, and the first forty episodes are a well-crafted, emotionally-charged drama. However, you may find the conclusion a little bit of a disappointment.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Gundam SEED 1-10
So one of my ongoing projects is designing a tabletop game system for playing magical girls and giant robots. Yes, the same system, because the most interesting style of Magical Girl to me is Nanoha, and the magical girls in Nanoha are giant robots who happen to be wearing pretty dresses. And Infinite Stratos, while the mecha part is awesome, it isn't really the focus of it, so I figured I'd get back to the real heart of the Real Robot genre, and that means Gundam or Macross.
My last contact with the Gundam franchises was Gundam Wing back in the late 90s, and I was generally unimpressed. I'm told that's not an uncommon reaction to it: it's generally reviled as being lighter and softer in a weird way, and having an unreasonable amount of Ho Yay and Estrogen Brigade Bait. But the mecha were cool and stuff blew up, so I watched it.
After a little research, I decided that trying to watch the original Mobile Suit Gundam, as I'd feel honor-bound to do if I were going to try to watch anything in the Universal Century timeline (the main Gundam franchise timeline, for the uninitiated). The sheer volume of anime that would be committing to is presently beyond anything I can sanely say I want to start, so I tried to find another alternate universe like Wing to get my Gundam on in, and I stumbled across SEED. Now quite an aged series (2002), it was described as being a very strongly mainstream Gundam series. Jackpot.
I watched the first ten of fifty episodes tonight, and I'm enjoying it. It's a military drama that uses robots ace pilots as its main protagonists and antagonists, and is already dealing with fantastic racism in the form of genetically engineered humans, and isn't hesitating to lather the gray on the gray reality of how war sucks for everyone involved.
Being a long series, it's got some uphill to go before I give it a truly good rating, simply because it needs to convince me that it needed 50 episodes to tell this story, but so far I'm willing to believe that it'll manage a B. 50 episodes does let the series allow for a lot of growth, however, and means that there will be enough time to recognize the entire (already fairly substantial) cast.
First Impressions: Series military drama is serious. Stay away if you want laughs or light-hearted, hot-blooded robot battles.
My last contact with the Gundam franchises was Gundam Wing back in the late 90s, and I was generally unimpressed. I'm told that's not an uncommon reaction to it: it's generally reviled as being lighter and softer in a weird way, and having an unreasonable amount of Ho Yay and Estrogen Brigade Bait. But the mecha were cool and stuff blew up, so I watched it.
After a little research, I decided that trying to watch the original Mobile Suit Gundam, as I'd feel honor-bound to do if I were going to try to watch anything in the Universal Century timeline (the main Gundam franchise timeline, for the uninitiated). The sheer volume of anime that would be committing to is presently beyond anything I can sanely say I want to start, so I tried to find another alternate universe like Wing to get my Gundam on in, and I stumbled across SEED. Now quite an aged series (2002), it was described as being a very strongly mainstream Gundam series. Jackpot.
I watched the first ten of fifty episodes tonight, and I'm enjoying it. It's a military drama that uses robots ace pilots as its main protagonists and antagonists, and is already dealing with fantastic racism in the form of genetically engineered humans, and isn't hesitating to lather the gray on the gray reality of how war sucks for everyone involved.
Being a long series, it's got some uphill to go before I give it a truly good rating, simply because it needs to convince me that it needed 50 episodes to tell this story, but so far I'm willing to believe that it'll manage a B. 50 episodes does let the series allow for a lot of growth, however, and means that there will be enough time to recognize the entire (already fairly substantial) cast.
First Impressions: Series military drama is serious. Stay away if you want laughs or light-hearted, hot-blooded robot battles.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku (OVA)
All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku (OVA): C+
This one's tough to describe and may earn me some hate from people who grew up with it.
Nuku Nuku is a classic, combining a lot of elements into a fairly original work. I certainly do not think it is bad, by any stretch of the imagination, but it was the sort of series I watched because I knew the name and I felt out of place not knowing much more about it.
Turns out there's not much to know. A lighthearted romp of a 6-episode OVA fraught with explosions, fan service and conflict involving a broken family (played for laughs, as the father is a modern mad scientist and the mother is a high-rolling executive bound to have her son back no matter the cost in high-tech machinery).
I was a little disappointed in the very-human portrayal of Nuku Nuku, who is supposedly a cat brain in an android body, but mostly acts like the modern stereotypical cat girl (though notably lacking ears). The conflicts, however, are well-justified and orchestrated, despite the comedy, you really can appreciate the "villainous" mother's desire to be with her son.
I should note that I only watched the OVA, not the TV anime or the second OVA (Nuku Nuku Dash), because my sources informed me that the original was the best.
Enjoyable and classic, but ultimately forgettable.
This one's tough to describe and may earn me some hate from people who grew up with it.
Nuku Nuku is a classic, combining a lot of elements into a fairly original work. I certainly do not think it is bad, by any stretch of the imagination, but it was the sort of series I watched because I knew the name and I felt out of place not knowing much more about it.
Turns out there's not much to know. A lighthearted romp of a 6-episode OVA fraught with explosions, fan service and conflict involving a broken family (played for laughs, as the father is a modern mad scientist and the mother is a high-rolling executive bound to have her son back no matter the cost in high-tech machinery).
I was a little disappointed in the very-human portrayal of Nuku Nuku, who is supposedly a cat brain in an android body, but mostly acts like the modern stereotypical cat girl (though notably lacking ears). The conflicts, however, are well-justified and orchestrated, despite the comedy, you really can appreciate the "villainous" mother's desire to be with her son.
I should note that I only watched the OVA, not the TV anime or the second OVA (Nuku Nuku Dash), because my sources informed me that the original was the best.
Enjoyable and classic, but ultimately forgettable.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Infinite Stratos: Final
Infinite Stratos: C++
IS belongs in a special "Guilty Pleasure" box for me: It's fun, it's funny, it's pretty to look at, but it's lacking in depth, emotion, meaning or comedy that I really want from a series that I would give a higher rating to. It's a little all over the place (which is to be expected from a series whose mission statement is "harem/mecha"), and jumps between unwanted harem humor and real robot drama, doing an only okay job of each.
All that being said, I would watch a second season, especially if they didn't go overboard with introducing new characters and just developed Ichika, the five girls, Chifuyu and Tabane. And maybe Pika-tan.
Pretty much everything good about the series right here.
Right, so I spent my sunday rewatching IS, and I've concluded that overall, the series does not quite deserve a B. It has a fair number of truly brilliant moments, a good ending, and I do like the series, but my critic's mind tells me that it doesn't deserve to be in the same category as a shows of genuinely higher quality.IS belongs in a special "Guilty Pleasure" box for me: It's fun, it's funny, it's pretty to look at, but it's lacking in depth, emotion, meaning or comedy that I really want from a series that I would give a higher rating to. It's a little all over the place (which is to be expected from a series whose mission statement is "harem/mecha"), and jumps between unwanted harem humor and real robot drama, doing an only okay job of each.
All that being said, I would watch a second season, especially if they didn't go overboard with introducing new characters and just developed Ichika, the five girls, Chifuyu and Tabane. And maybe Pika-tan.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Star Driver
Star Driver - Kagayaki no Takuto: B++
"Revolutionary Girl Utena with Giant Robots."
The only thing keeping Star Driver from being an A is that it borrows a little too much from it's pink-haired big sister. However, it is a lovely story of romance, intrigue and heroism with deep, human characterization and profound mythic feel, though it generally avoids direct references to mythology.
Visually stunning and with a beautiful soundtrack (especially the North Maiden's song), Star Driver is an excellent example of modern Seinen: thoughtful, meaningful and active.
"Revolutionary Girl Utena with Giant Robots."
The only thing keeping Star Driver from being an A is that it borrows a little too much from it's pink-haired big sister. However, it is a lovely story of romance, intrigue and heroism with deep, human characterization and profound mythic feel, though it generally avoids direct references to mythology.
Visually stunning and with a beautiful soundtrack (especially the North Maiden's song), Star Driver is an excellent example of modern Seinen: thoughtful, meaningful and active.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Infinite Stratos
So, the last episode of Infinite Stratos came out last week, and I was lazy and haven't finished the series until tonight.
You're probably wondering how I'm going to grade it. Honestly, I am too. It's between a C+ and a B.
I was all set to give it a C+ before the last two episodes, because Episodes 9 and 10 are pretty meh, but they really do manage to bring the ending around, though it's the kinda sappy thing you'd expect.
So, I'm withholding judgment for a little while. When I have the time I'll watch it all in one sitting and give a final score. Because as much as it's not good, it is fun, and fun is worth about half a letter to me.
Short version: If harem anime isn't your thing, stay away. But if the idea of watching a series where the protagonist is not only a chick magnet, but totally emotionally oblivious and quite possibly gay (it's not canon, but it's a reasonable accusation), plus some entertaining flying around in power armor with explosions and pretty girls in swimsuits, then go for it.
You're probably wondering how I'm going to grade it. Honestly, I am too. It's between a C+ and a B.
I was all set to give it a C+ before the last two episodes, because Episodes 9 and 10 are pretty meh, but they really do manage to bring the ending around, though it's the kinda sappy thing you'd expect.
So, I'm withholding judgment for a little while. When I have the time I'll watch it all in one sitting and give a final score. Because as much as it's not good, it is fun, and fun is worth about half a letter to me.
Short version: If harem anime isn't your thing, stay away. But if the idea of watching a series where the protagonist is not only a chick magnet, but totally emotionally oblivious and quite possibly gay (it's not canon, but it's a reasonable accusation), plus some entertaining flying around in power armor with explosions and pretty girls in swimsuits, then go for it.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Hell Girl Season 1 (Final)
Jigoku Shoujo Season 1: B
I have been jokingly telling my friends "I've been watching Hell Girl. It's the exact opposite of Hellboy. Hellboy is action, nazis, violence, dragons and robots. Hell Girl is horror, psychology, revenge, hate and pathos."
Like a lot of things I have to say about Jigoku Shoujo, I'm not *quite* criticizing it. I liked it. It was enjoyable and interesting. B means "good."
But.
It was slow. Now, I watch anime at breakneck pace, I'll often get through 10+ episodes in a single night, more than that on weekends. Jigoku Shoujo demanded to be taken slower. It was written to be watched as it aired, one episode per week over the course of six months. The mystery percolates well, we find out about Ai and the nature of the Hell Correspondence (Hell Hotline in other translations, but I think that sounds dumb) very slowly, and the show does not bother with fast action. It's a brooding sort of conflict, very much in the way of Japanese Horror, the horror is not about the threat of imminent death, it's about the wrongness of the world, and how that wrongness might just swallow you.
The story doesn't surprise you with plot twists, but it clearly isn't trying to surprise you, the degree of formula used makes that clear. Rather than surprise you, it makes you wonder if this will be the time that things end differently, like any series with a formula, you wonder if this will be the time when the formula breaks down, because it has to eventually.
And all the while there's a degree of wish fulfillment going on: Bad people are being punished in horrible ways. Yes, people had to suffer to justify the punishment, but we are seeing something like justice done, and a certain part of us appreciates that.
Jigoku Shoujo speaks to a strange, somewhat unwanted part of the viewer's desires, and explores that part. Is revenge ever justified? Is one who enables revenge doing good? Doing evil? Should humanity be able to take into their own hands what is not in their hands? The series does not provide a moral or an answer, simply a resolution. As Enma Ai says as the final lines of the series,
"The rest is up for you to decide."
I have been jokingly telling my friends "I've been watching Hell Girl. It's the exact opposite of Hellboy. Hellboy is action, nazis, violence, dragons and robots. Hell Girl is horror, psychology, revenge, hate and pathos."
Like a lot of things I have to say about Jigoku Shoujo, I'm not *quite* criticizing it. I liked it. It was enjoyable and interesting. B means "good."
But.
It was slow. Now, I watch anime at breakneck pace, I'll often get through 10+ episodes in a single night, more than that on weekends. Jigoku Shoujo demanded to be taken slower. It was written to be watched as it aired, one episode per week over the course of six months. The mystery percolates well, we find out about Ai and the nature of the Hell Correspondence (Hell Hotline in other translations, but I think that sounds dumb) very slowly, and the show does not bother with fast action. It's a brooding sort of conflict, very much in the way of Japanese Horror, the horror is not about the threat of imminent death, it's about the wrongness of the world, and how that wrongness might just swallow you.
The story doesn't surprise you with plot twists, but it clearly isn't trying to surprise you, the degree of formula used makes that clear. Rather than surprise you, it makes you wonder if this will be the time that things end differently, like any series with a formula, you wonder if this will be the time when the formula breaks down, because it has to eventually.
And all the while there's a degree of wish fulfillment going on: Bad people are being punished in horrible ways. Yes, people had to suffer to justify the punishment, but we are seeing something like justice done, and a certain part of us appreciates that.
Jigoku Shoujo speaks to a strange, somewhat unwanted part of the viewer's desires, and explores that part. Is revenge ever justified? Is one who enables revenge doing good? Doing evil? Should humanity be able to take into their own hands what is not in their hands? The series does not provide a moral or an answer, simply a resolution. As Enma Ai says as the final lines of the series,
"The rest is up for you to decide."
Monday, April 4, 2011
Hell Girl (Again)
So, after a bit of random investigation, I learned that due to a titling error in the copy I got had me watch the last episode of the first season first.
While I haven't finished the first season yet, the change in perspective brought by seeing the last episode first definitely changes the way the series is veiwed. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it's definitely influenced my opinions of it to the extent that I'm probably not going to be able to provide a coherent description of it until I've watched the entire thing, and I may need to rewatch a few episodes at that point.
The entire thing has made me wonder what it's like trying to tell a story to which the viewer knows the punchline, though, perhaps, not the joke, and the literary inventiveness in this particular sort of project. It is essentially the way I'm seeing this, I know the punchline but I only have the vaguest outline of the joke.
But, I am still interested in finding out how it all comes together.
While I haven't finished the first season yet, the change in perspective brought by seeing the last episode first definitely changes the way the series is veiwed. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it's definitely influenced my opinions of it to the extent that I'm probably not going to be able to provide a coherent description of it until I've watched the entire thing, and I may need to rewatch a few episodes at that point.
The entire thing has made me wonder what it's like trying to tell a story to which the viewer knows the punchline, though, perhaps, not the joke, and the literary inventiveness in this particular sort of project. It is essentially the way I'm seeing this, I know the punchline but I only have the vaguest outline of the joke.
But, I am still interested in finding out how it all comes together.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Hell Girl (Season 1) 1-7
So a little while back a friend of mine posted a viral meme on Facebook saying "Post 15 anime series in 15 minutes and share it with 15 friends." I freakin' hate viral memes, but this was harmless and had the potential to be interesting. Most of the series that I found on the list I'd seen, most of the others I'd heard of, and among the ones I'd heard of was Hell Girl, which I will hereafter refer to by its title in Japanese: Jigoku Shoujo, for reasons that I will go into. Some weeks ago it was mentioned, and while I had heard the name in passing I knew absolutely nothing about it. Tonight I decided to find out.
First of all, the title. I'm going to deal with the words backwards: "Shoujo" means "girl," though in Japanese the word also covers teenage girls without requiring the additional descriptor that English does. "Jigoku" is a word for the Japanese underworld, the place where the souls of evil humans go upon death. This does sound an awful lot like the western concept of Hell, and, indeed, I have no issue with the translation being "Hell Girl," my issue is with the difference in terminology and the implications it causes. However, the greatest difference between the western Hell and Jigoku is the presence of the demonic: Jigoku is more like a very unpleasant Purgatory before souls are reincarnated, it is a land of death and suffering, but by its nature rather than at the hands of malicious entities. "Hell Girl" implies, to the English-speakers ear, that the eponymous character is a demon, maybe even a succubus or some other such entity, where nothing could be further from the truth. It is a small complaint,
It took me two episodes to finally classify Jigoku Shoujo is "supernatural horror". When I realized that I was watching horror, I also realized the things that go bump in the night, the ones who drag humans into living nightmares and carry them off to an existence of eternal suffering are our protagonists.
Given that, it shouldn't be a surprise that Jigoku Shoujo is a very dark series. We are treated to witnessing the monsters among humanity through the eyes of their victims, who are unable to see these monsters punished by mortal man. These otherwise powerless individuals are given a way out: a website exists that is only accessible at midnight. Entering the name of the one they are unable to forgive there summons Enma Ai, our protagonist, the Jigoku Shoujo. She presents the wronged party with a black straw doll with a red string around its neck, and explains the terms. By removing the string, a contract is formed, and the one who was named will be taken to Jigoku. However, there is a steep price: the summoner, too, will wind up in Jigoku upon their death, with no chance of going to heaven. Ai is often kind enough to present her summoners with a view of what their existence in Jigoku will be like.
Despite its relatively formulaic nature and the fact that it introduces characters (and takes them to Jigoku) at a truly prodigious rate, the differences in situations and in characterization, as well as the slowly-unfolding understanding of Ai and her assistants that we get through watching them work makes each episode new and interesting for what small hints can be gleaned about the returning cast and whatever metaplot there may be.
The art is a relatively realistic style, and indeed the first thing I thought upon seeing it was "It looks like Serial Experiments Lain," another series which doesn't look like anime (or rather, doesn't look like what we've come to think of as anime.) While it is horror, it is relatively light on gore and nightmare fuel, though the brief periods where the sinners are given time to confess their sins can be extremely creepy and terrifying, especially if you let yourself empathize with the circumstances.
Special mention also goes to Enma Ai's voice actress Mamiko Noto, (I know her as Hecate from Shakugan no Shana) whose delivery wonderful creepy ethereal quality which I never get tired of listening to.
What I've seen of it so far is not mind-blowing but is a very good and relatively placid horror story. I'll post a further review when I've seen the entire first season.
First of all, the title. I'm going to deal with the words backwards: "Shoujo" means "girl," though in Japanese the word also covers teenage girls without requiring the additional descriptor that English does. "Jigoku" is a word for the Japanese underworld, the place where the souls of evil humans go upon death. This does sound an awful lot like the western concept of Hell, and, indeed, I have no issue with the translation being "Hell Girl," my issue is with the difference in terminology and the implications it causes. However, the greatest difference between the western Hell and Jigoku is the presence of the demonic: Jigoku is more like a very unpleasant Purgatory before souls are reincarnated, it is a land of death and suffering, but by its nature rather than at the hands of malicious entities. "Hell Girl" implies, to the English-speakers ear, that the eponymous character is a demon, maybe even a succubus or some other such entity, where nothing could be further from the truth. It is a small complaint,
It took me two episodes to finally classify Jigoku Shoujo is "supernatural horror". When I realized that I was watching horror, I also realized the things that go bump in the night, the ones who drag humans into living nightmares and carry them off to an existence of eternal suffering are our protagonists.
Given that, it shouldn't be a surprise that Jigoku Shoujo is a very dark series. We are treated to witnessing the monsters among humanity through the eyes of their victims, who are unable to see these monsters punished by mortal man. These otherwise powerless individuals are given a way out: a website exists that is only accessible at midnight. Entering the name of the one they are unable to forgive there summons Enma Ai, our protagonist, the Jigoku Shoujo. She presents the wronged party with a black straw doll with a red string around its neck, and explains the terms. By removing the string, a contract is formed, and the one who was named will be taken to Jigoku. However, there is a steep price: the summoner, too, will wind up in Jigoku upon their death, with no chance of going to heaven. Ai is often kind enough to present her summoners with a view of what their existence in Jigoku will be like.
Despite its relatively formulaic nature and the fact that it introduces characters (and takes them to Jigoku) at a truly prodigious rate, the differences in situations and in characterization, as well as the slowly-unfolding understanding of Ai and her assistants that we get through watching them work makes each episode new and interesting for what small hints can be gleaned about the returning cast and whatever metaplot there may be.
The art is a relatively realistic style, and indeed the first thing I thought upon seeing it was "It looks like Serial Experiments Lain," another series which doesn't look like anime (or rather, doesn't look like what we've come to think of as anime.) While it is horror, it is relatively light on gore and nightmare fuel, though the brief periods where the sinners are given time to confess their sins can be extremely creepy and terrifying, especially if you let yourself empathize with the circumstances.
Special mention also goes to Enma Ai's voice actress Mamiko Noto, (I know her as Hecate from Shakugan no Shana) whose delivery wonderful creepy ethereal quality which I never get tired of listening to.
What I've seen of it so far is not mind-blowing but is a very good and relatively placid horror story. I'll post a further review when I've seen the entire first season.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise
Whug, long week, and I spent a lot of it on Hayate (the Second Season is so different from the first...) and watching an episode here and there of series I don't want to fully review.
But I've had this movie sitting in my "Unwatched" folder for a month or two now so I figured it was time to finally watch the first piece of work Studio Gainax made under the name Studio Gainax.
Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise: B
First impressions were meh. The pacing is pretty slow, it's a grown up movie, the kind my parents would like. It reminded me of The Right Stuff, which I saw when I was like 11 and didn't really know how to take, this is back when I wanted to be an astronaut, like all kids did, before I realized how much kinda boring work it is.
But as I kept watching it, it grew on me. The main character, Shirotsugu, is a soldier in the eponymous Royal Space Force, which, much like our own modern space program, has fallen on hard times, unlike our space program, this one has not yet gotten off the ground, hearkening back to the days of rocketry and launch pad explosions. As the story progresses, Shirotsugu finds religion (odd for a Japanese movie), struggles with his own identity and humanity, fights back against the apathy infesting the space force and the political intrigues surrounding the planet's first manned space mission.
It is a very mature piece, that I felt like I got right away and hit the nail on, very much about adult emotions finding one's place, not only a man's place in life, but humanity's place in the universe, and if it can hold your interest, it's a very touching story.
The animation style is jarring, compared to the beautiful people we are so used to seeing in modern anime, the characters have a rough and almost ugly look to them, but the old, plainly hand-drawn cells have an expressive quality of shading which one doesn't see often outside of Studio Ghibli's work (and if it reminds you of a Ghibli production visually, it should, most of the animators worked at Studio Ghibli before working at Gainax).
Overall, if you can get into a very human, political story, it's an excellent movie, but if you're looking for a couple hours of action-packed explosions and fan service, look elsewhere.
But I've had this movie sitting in my "Unwatched" folder for a month or two now so I figured it was time to finally watch the first piece of work Studio Gainax made under the name Studio Gainax.
Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise: B
First impressions were meh. The pacing is pretty slow, it's a grown up movie, the kind my parents would like. It reminded me of The Right Stuff, which I saw when I was like 11 and didn't really know how to take, this is back when I wanted to be an astronaut, like all kids did, before I realized how much kinda boring work it is.
But as I kept watching it, it grew on me. The main character, Shirotsugu, is a soldier in the eponymous Royal Space Force, which, much like our own modern space program, has fallen on hard times, unlike our space program, this one has not yet gotten off the ground, hearkening back to the days of rocketry and launch pad explosions. As the story progresses, Shirotsugu finds religion (odd for a Japanese movie), struggles with his own identity and humanity, fights back against the apathy infesting the space force and the political intrigues surrounding the planet's first manned space mission.
It is a very mature piece, that I felt like I got right away and hit the nail on, very much about adult emotions finding one's place, not only a man's place in life, but humanity's place in the universe, and if it can hold your interest, it's a very touching story.
The animation style is jarring, compared to the beautiful people we are so used to seeing in modern anime, the characters have a rough and almost ugly look to them, but the old, plainly hand-drawn cells have an expressive quality of shading which one doesn't see often outside of Studio Ghibli's work (and if it reminds you of a Ghibli production visually, it should, most of the animators worked at Studio Ghibli before working at Gainax).
Overall, if you can get into a very human, political story, it's an excellent movie, but if you're looking for a couple hours of action-packed explosions and fan service, look elsewhere.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Hayate no Gotoku!
Time for a review of an older series!
Hayate no Gotoku (Seasons 1 and 2): A
Hayate no Gotoku (Hayate the Combat Butler, is the English title) is a highly referential comedic anime about a very unlucky young man named Ayasaki Hayate, who possesses a pair of superlatively awful parents, and is forced (through a series of circumstances in the first two episodes) to become a butler to the astoundingly rich Sanzen'in Nagi, a 12 year old heiress, otaku and hikikkomori, who thus far has only lived with her young maid Maria, the head butler Klaus and her pet "cat" Tama.
Nagi's eclectic lifestyle and friends and classmates and Hayate's adjustment to the world of the absurdly rich are played for laughs (as is Hayate's incredibly bad luck), and a number of Shonen traditions are ruthlessly mocked (there is a 2-episode Tournament arc, and a period where other butlers are coming to challenge Hayate occurs in a two-minute segment at the end of every episode).
As much as that is the plot of the story, such as it is, the show has a fairly large and colorful cast and spends more of its time making japanese pop culture and anime references and hanging lampshades than it does advancing its wacky Love Dodecahedron "plotline".
The first season is a 52-episode series and focuses on the humor, anime referencing and random silliness. For someone like me, who takes supreme enjoyment in playing "spot the reference," the first season is solid entertainment. The second season begins with a soft reset (unexplained, but fairly obvious to anyone who's seen the first season) and focuses more on romance and relationship development, without abandoning the absurd humor.
It's a very Japanese series, and while I say that with a lot of affection for it, it is something that I would use to warn a lot of casual viewers. If you're unprepared for machine-gun references to an unfamiliar culture, Hayate no Gotoku will be a little be a little overwhelming. Not incomprehensible, but you'll have a constant feeling of "There was a joke there that I should have gotten..."
While the plots are often utterly ludicrous, the characters are extremely lovable, often being extremely competent in one area and extremely incompetent in another at the exact same time (I would posit that that is the theme of the series: the humor inherent in human flaws), and the show jumps between heartwarming moments of friendship and loyalty and snappily-delivered textual and physical comedy. Overall, it's a positively wonderful show for anyone interested in romantic comedy, with a giant pile of bonus material for the dedicated anime watcher.
Hayate no Gotoku (Seasons 1 and 2): A
Main character with the blue hair on the left. The three in the foreground are the fun ones.
Hayate no Gotoku (Hayate the Combat Butler, is the English title) is a highly referential comedic anime about a very unlucky young man named Ayasaki Hayate, who possesses a pair of superlatively awful parents, and is forced (through a series of circumstances in the first two episodes) to become a butler to the astoundingly rich Sanzen'in Nagi, a 12 year old heiress, otaku and hikikkomori, who thus far has only lived with her young maid Maria, the head butler Klaus and her pet "cat" Tama.
Nagi's eclectic lifestyle and friends and classmates and Hayate's adjustment to the world of the absurdly rich are played for laughs (as is Hayate's incredibly bad luck), and a number of Shonen traditions are ruthlessly mocked (there is a 2-episode Tournament arc, and a period where other butlers are coming to challenge Hayate occurs in a two-minute segment at the end of every episode).
As much as that is the plot of the story, such as it is, the show has a fairly large and colorful cast and spends more of its time making japanese pop culture and anime references and hanging lampshades than it does advancing its wacky Love Dodecahedron "plotline".
The first season is a 52-episode series and focuses on the humor, anime referencing and random silliness. For someone like me, who takes supreme enjoyment in playing "spot the reference," the first season is solid entertainment. The second season begins with a soft reset (unexplained, but fairly obvious to anyone who's seen the first season) and focuses more on romance and relationship development, without abandoning the absurd humor.
It's a very Japanese series, and while I say that with a lot of affection for it, it is something that I would use to warn a lot of casual viewers. If you're unprepared for machine-gun references to an unfamiliar culture, Hayate no Gotoku will be a little be a little overwhelming. Not incomprehensible, but you'll have a constant feeling of "There was a joke there that I should have gotten..."
While the plots are often utterly ludicrous, the characters are extremely lovable, often being extremely competent in one area and extremely incompetent in another at the exact same time (I would posit that that is the theme of the series: the humor inherent in human flaws), and the show jumps between heartwarming moments of friendship and loyalty and snappily-delivered textual and physical comedy. Overall, it's a positively wonderful show for anyone interested in romantic comedy, with a giant pile of bonus material for the dedicated anime watcher.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Star Driver 13-22
So, I think I'm going to change my official description of Star Driver to the following.
"Star Driver is Revolutionary Girl Utena WITH GIANT ROBOTS."
Need to put that on the Recycled IN SPACE tropes pages.
Feel free to skip the next couple paragraphs if you haven't seen Revolutionary Girl Utena. Also, you may want to consider going and watching it. It's a classic.
So I'm nearing the end of the series, and I'm liking it. It lacks Utena's visceral brutality, but possesses much of its hidden symbolism, conspiracy plotline and quiet discussion of "how does a hero" that Utena was about. That being said, it lacks the degree of symbolism that Utena had, and the symbolic misdirection of the former (Utena was between 10 and 70% nonsense, depending on who you ask) and, and this is crucial, Star Driver is a much more idealistic series as a whole.
It has the same undercurrent of "growing up" as it's pink-haired sister, along making metaphors for growing up out of leaving, dying, the loss of virginity/innocence and a number of other things. And like Utena, the true measure of a hero or a villain is shown, not told.
Episode 22 set the stage for the finale, but it hasn't all aired in Japan yet, so I'm going to wait until the series is finished and then watch the remainder in one go.
Current Rating: B+ (Ending could push it back up to A or down to B, but I don't think it'll go down as far as C. It's gorgeous to watch and to listen to, and the story and characters are strong enough to hold it at at least B.)
"Star Driver is Revolutionary Girl Utena WITH GIANT ROBOTS."
Need to put that on the Recycled IN SPACE tropes pages.
Feel free to skip the next couple paragraphs if you haven't seen Revolutionary Girl Utena. Also, you may want to consider going and watching it. It's a classic.
So I'm nearing the end of the series, and I'm liking it. It lacks Utena's visceral brutality, but possesses much of its hidden symbolism, conspiracy plotline and quiet discussion of "how does a hero" that Utena was about. That being said, it lacks the degree of symbolism that Utena had, and the symbolic misdirection of the former (Utena was between 10 and 70% nonsense, depending on who you ask) and, and this is crucial, Star Driver is a much more idealistic series as a whole.
It has the same undercurrent of "growing up" as it's pink-haired sister, along making metaphors for growing up out of leaving, dying, the loss of virginity/innocence and a number of other things. And like Utena, the true measure of a hero or a villain is shown, not told.
Episode 22 set the stage for the finale, but it hasn't all aired in Japan yet, so I'm going to wait until the series is finished and then watch the remainder in one go.
Current Rating: B+ (Ending could push it back up to A or down to B, but I don't think it'll go down as far as C. It's gorgeous to watch and to listen to, and the story and characters are strong enough to hold it at at least B.)
Friday, March 25, 2011
Star Driver 5-13
So, I meant to go to bed early tonight because I've been terrible at waking up lately, but I had laundry in, so I figured I'd watch a couple more episodes of Star Driver.
And I have to say by Episode 13, I'm thoroughly torn on the subject. So, up until the past couple of episodes, the entire series very much felt like a rehash of the same overall plot of Revolutionary Girl Utena and Melody of Oblivion: A young, naive hero is gifted with fighting skill which they use to rescue a special girl from an arcane conspiracy, and then become part of a world of challengers facing them down, who defeat themselves through their own weakness rather than particularly through the hero's strength. It will be surrounded by themes of repetition, western imagery used both properly and improperly with strong themes of growing up, corruption and sex. When the Puppet Master finally reveals themselves, they will be very much like the hero and their ultimate defeat will be pyrrhic or inconclusive.
Now, I don't think that this is a bad formula, in particular, it's one that allows for a lot of characterization to be put into your villains and other challengers, but as of around episode 12 or 13 of Star Driver, I'm starting to think they may be mixing it up on me. Any further would be spoiling, but let me just say that I'm at the halfway point and things (predictably) are starting to turn around.
Also, one of the guys at work (the one who recommended Puella Magi Madoka Magica, which I adore, to me, but whose opinions remain otherwise unknown) gave Star Driver a pretty tepid review, so I was prepared for it to go downhill, but it doesn't seem to have done so. He may not have seen the two series that form the concept, and it's possible that my primary appreciation for the series is rooted more in the trio of series (Utena, Melody and Star Driver) than in Star Driver itself.
If the story continues in the vector that 12 and 13 left me in, I'm very interested to see what becomes of it. If it goes in a different direction, we'll see...
Current Rating: Tentative A.
And I have to say by Episode 13, I'm thoroughly torn on the subject. So, up until the past couple of episodes, the entire series very much felt like a rehash of the same overall plot of Revolutionary Girl Utena and Melody of Oblivion: A young, naive hero is gifted with fighting skill which they use to rescue a special girl from an arcane conspiracy, and then become part of a world of challengers facing them down, who defeat themselves through their own weakness rather than particularly through the hero's strength. It will be surrounded by themes of repetition, western imagery used both properly and improperly with strong themes of growing up, corruption and sex. When the Puppet Master finally reveals themselves, they will be very much like the hero and their ultimate defeat will be pyrrhic or inconclusive.
Now, I don't think that this is a bad formula, in particular, it's one that allows for a lot of characterization to be put into your villains and other challengers, but as of around episode 12 or 13 of Star Driver, I'm starting to think they may be mixing it up on me. Any further would be spoiling, but let me just say that I'm at the halfway point and things (predictably) are starting to turn around.
Also, one of the guys at work (the one who recommended Puella Magi Madoka Magica, which I adore, to me, but whose opinions remain otherwise unknown) gave Star Driver a pretty tepid review, so I was prepared for it to go downhill, but it doesn't seem to have done so. He may not have seen the two series that form the concept, and it's possible that my primary appreciation for the series is rooted more in the trio of series (Utena, Melody and Star Driver) than in Star Driver itself.
If the story continues in the vector that 12 and 13 left me in, I'm very interested to see what becomes of it. If it goes in a different direction, we'll see...
Current Rating: Tentative A.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Star Driver 1-4
I downloaded Star Driver a while back and the gg subs version of it has been sitting in my "to watch" folder, but I watched the first few minutes and they didn't get my attention, so I held off on it.
Tonight I cracked it, and my immediate thought upon finishing the first episode was, "Huh, this is like Utena meets Gurren Lagann." Now, let's get straight that I consider both of those series to be excellent anime and worth anyone's time, but mixing concepts isn't necessarily a good idea.
I got curious around episode 4 and decided to look into who's writing this crazy, because a certain sequence reminded me of Ouran High School Host Club. The following was my answer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C5%8Dji_Enokido
I feel bad not knowing this guy's name! Those are some high class titles he's written! I've seen ALL OF THEM except RahXephon, and now apparently I'll have to, since they were all pretty good.
Anyway, Star Driver is a B+ at the moment, but I'm only 4 episodes in. It could be as good as an S if it really shakes things up later on, but so far it's a little mind-warpy, but worth watching.
Tonight I cracked it, and my immediate thought upon finishing the first episode was, "Huh, this is like Utena meets Gurren Lagann." Now, let's get straight that I consider both of those series to be excellent anime and worth anyone's time, but mixing concepts isn't necessarily a good idea.
I got curious around episode 4 and decided to look into who's writing this crazy, because a certain sequence reminded me of Ouran High School Host Club. The following was my answer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C5%8Dji_Enokido
I feel bad not knowing this guy's name! Those are some high class titles he's written! I've seen ALL OF THEM except RahXephon, and now apparently I'll have to, since they were all pretty good.
Anyway, Star Driver is a B+ at the moment, but I'm only 4 episodes in. It could be as good as an S if it really shakes things up later on, but so far it's a little mind-warpy, but worth watching.
Monday, March 21, 2011
How To Watch Anime
That's a bit of a presumptuous title, but I'm going with it. Being a critic is an inherently presumptuous job, after all, you're telling people what they should and shouldn't like.
So, I mentioned in my very first post that I loved Neon Genesis Evangelion. I will never forget when I tried to show it to my then-girlfriend (who I watched a lot of anime with) and her older sister (who was also into it, but was a bit more generally cynical), nor my intense disappointment when they didn't "get it" in the same way I did. Being as I was only 16 at the time, it shouldn't be too surprising that it took me about 6 years to really understand what I did wrong.
Evangelion is a series that relies very heavily on the viewer empathizing with characters who are at best flawed and at worst downright vile. If the viewer does not let the struggle of the characters become their own struggle, the series loses all meaning and becomes the many things it is mocked for: absurdity, wangst, mind screwery and bizarre Christian imagery.
And it is much, MUCH harder to let yourself empathize with the characters if you're in front of other people. Humans are naturally social creatures, they want to be understood and to understand, and to impress people. Evangelion is a crowning example of a series that a first-time viewer will reflexively mock almost as a defense mechanism against empathy. "Shinji's a whiny little wuss," is something that you don't need to say when it's just you and him alone, but in front of other people, it's far, far easier to let posturing and joking get in the way of a series' actual emotional message.
That being said, when a series is funny, clever or tricky, watching it with friends will add dramatically to your enjoyment, as multiple sets of eyes will catch more details, and inside jokes can be generated and spread. So I'm not saying that you should watch all anime alone.
The Shorthand version is this: Drama should be watched alone the first time you watch it. Comedy should be watched with friends. Both types very often benefit from a second watching. There are series (for example, Gurren Lagann and FLCL) which aren't really either one, or are both. In my opinion, FLCL falls into the former category and Gurren Lagann falls into the latter, but I'm not sure I could completely explain why.
I should also note that series which can't make up their mind if they're drama or comedy will usually crumble worse in a multi-viewer environment than a single-viewer environment. If you're the only one there, you can give it credit rather than poking at every plot hole you see, which I find that people do reflexively when they're with others.
Food for thought, I suppose. Tonight I may (or may not) watch Triangle Heart: Sweet Songs Forever, the OVA of which Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha was a spinoff/alternate universe setting of. As Nanoha is far better known than its predecessor, I'm curious as to what the "original" was like...
So, I mentioned in my very first post that I loved Neon Genesis Evangelion. I will never forget when I tried to show it to my then-girlfriend (who I watched a lot of anime with) and her older sister (who was also into it, but was a bit more generally cynical), nor my intense disappointment when they didn't "get it" in the same way I did. Being as I was only 16 at the time, it shouldn't be too surprising that it took me about 6 years to really understand what I did wrong.
Evangelion is a series that relies very heavily on the viewer empathizing with characters who are at best flawed and at worst downright vile. If the viewer does not let the struggle of the characters become their own struggle, the series loses all meaning and becomes the many things it is mocked for: absurdity, wangst, mind screwery and bizarre Christian imagery.
And it is much, MUCH harder to let yourself empathize with the characters if you're in front of other people. Humans are naturally social creatures, they want to be understood and to understand, and to impress people. Evangelion is a crowning example of a series that a first-time viewer will reflexively mock almost as a defense mechanism against empathy. "Shinji's a whiny little wuss," is something that you don't need to say when it's just you and him alone, but in front of other people, it's far, far easier to let posturing and joking get in the way of a series' actual emotional message.
That being said, when a series is funny, clever or tricky, watching it with friends will add dramatically to your enjoyment, as multiple sets of eyes will catch more details, and inside jokes can be generated and spread. So I'm not saying that you should watch all anime alone.
The Shorthand version is this: Drama should be watched alone the first time you watch it. Comedy should be watched with friends. Both types very often benefit from a second watching. There are series (for example, Gurren Lagann and FLCL) which aren't really either one, or are both. In my opinion, FLCL falls into the former category and Gurren Lagann falls into the latter, but I'm not sure I could completely explain why.
I should also note that series which can't make up their mind if they're drama or comedy will usually crumble worse in a multi-viewer environment than a single-viewer environment. If you're the only one there, you can give it credit rather than poking at every plot hole you see, which I find that people do reflexively when they're with others.
Food for thought, I suppose. Tonight I may (or may not) watch Triangle Heart: Sweet Songs Forever, the OVA of which Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha was a spinoff/alternate universe setting of. As Nanoha is far better known than its predecessor, I'm curious as to what the "original" was like...
Friday, March 18, 2011
This Ugly Yet Beautiful World
This Ugly Yet Beautiful World: C++
I really do try to avoid Nerd Rage. It's an embarrassing phenomenon that happens when those of us obsess over things find someone else who obsess over them out of phase with our own obsession. I say this in my defense in case anyone finds out that I was behind the rather heavy-handed edits to a couple of Tropes pages discussing This Ugly Yet Beautiful World, which I'm rewatching now.
Some backgrounds. After I first watched Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, I decided that Studio Gainax could do no wrong and that I should watch everything they've ever produced. This led me to watch some really good series that I would have otherwise missed and some series that are really just about breasts that I would have otherwise missed. This Ugly Yet Beautiful World is somewhere in between these two. It's a series with a shameless amount of casual nudity, but dismissing it as a series about nothing but fan service is completely missing the point. It's also a story about emotion, hope, struggling against fate and pain of love.
If that sounds a bit like Neon Genesis Evangelion, it should. Now, I fucking loved Evangelion, and while I will not say that any series that is like it is equally good, but I do think that Eva and series that are actually deeply emotional are incredibly difficult to appreciate if you're unwilling to open yourself to a serious series. I'll go ahead and add that a series that has an awful lot of fan service is less likely to be taken seriously. However, I don't think any of these truly justify being completely dismissive of a series that actually has well-written emotional complexity. Which is what the TVTropes page was before I took my pen to it.
Now, I don't think that This Ugly Yet Beautiful World (jeez that's getting to be a mouthful) is an absolutely stellar series. I rate it right on the line between C+ and B. I guess I'll be satisfied with calling it a C++ (ha ha, and now my blog will show up on a lot of the wrong searches). I guess I just can't stand to see something not given it's fair shake in a place like TVTropes, which, humorous though it may be, is a place people go for information, not to hear things degraded like a high school classroom.
And that's enough defensive rambling from me. My recommendation: It's a worthwhile bittersweet romance with a slight sci-fi bent fueled by pseudo-paleontology and downright made up biology. If you can't stand gratuitous (if justified) nudity it's probably not for you, but even if the idea of a Magical Girlfriend show doesn't appeal to you, give it a chance, it explores the trope and its ramifications rather than simply being an occurrence of it. It's only 12 episodes, not much of a time commitment, and it's a complete story with an ending and everything, but it's a story that knows what it's really about.
"I'm thankful, for things that are ordinary and obvious."
-Hikari
For all my defense of it, this is the best image I can find.
I really do try to avoid Nerd Rage. It's an embarrassing phenomenon that happens when those of us obsess over things find someone else who obsess over them out of phase with our own obsession. I say this in my defense in case anyone finds out that I was behind the rather heavy-handed edits to a couple of Tropes pages discussing This Ugly Yet Beautiful World, which I'm rewatching now.
Some backgrounds. After I first watched Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, I decided that Studio Gainax could do no wrong and that I should watch everything they've ever produced. This led me to watch some really good series that I would have otherwise missed and some series that are really just about breasts that I would have otherwise missed. This Ugly Yet Beautiful World is somewhere in between these two. It's a series with a shameless amount of casual nudity, but dismissing it as a series about nothing but fan service is completely missing the point. It's also a story about emotion, hope, struggling against fate and pain of love.
If that sounds a bit like Neon Genesis Evangelion, it should. Now, I fucking loved Evangelion, and while I will not say that any series that is like it is equally good, but I do think that Eva and series that are actually deeply emotional are incredibly difficult to appreciate if you're unwilling to open yourself to a serious series. I'll go ahead and add that a series that has an awful lot of fan service is less likely to be taken seriously. However, I don't think any of these truly justify being completely dismissive of a series that actually has well-written emotional complexity. Which is what the TVTropes page was before I took my pen to it.
Now, I don't think that This Ugly Yet Beautiful World (jeez that's getting to be a mouthful) is an absolutely stellar series. I rate it right on the line between C+ and B. I guess I'll be satisfied with calling it a C++ (ha ha, and now my blog will show up on a lot of the wrong searches). I guess I just can't stand to see something not given it's fair shake in a place like TVTropes, which, humorous though it may be, is a place people go for information, not to hear things degraded like a high school classroom.
And that's enough defensive rambling from me. My recommendation: It's a worthwhile bittersweet romance with a slight sci-fi bent fueled by pseudo-paleontology and downright made up biology. If you can't stand gratuitous (if justified) nudity it's probably not for you, but even if the idea of a Magical Girlfriend show doesn't appeal to you, give it a chance, it explores the trope and its ramifications rather than simply being an occurrence of it. It's only 12 episodes, not much of a time commitment, and it's a complete story with an ending and everything, but it's a story that knows what it's really about.
"I'm thankful, for things that are ordinary and obvious."
-Hikari
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Infinite Stratos: Update
So, I finished the last post around episode 6. Having just finished episode 9 (which is the obligatory beach episode), my opinion of the series has improved. It will take a truly awful ending drop this series to a D, and it's got a good chance at being a B series.
A lot of the weaknesses in characterization have been lampshaded, which eases my mind about them, and we've had a bit of time away from plot to get to know the girls (who are now in full on vicious competition mode).
I still would characterize it as a bit of a guilty pleasure series, but it has avoided the thing I was most afraid of. I worried that Ichika was going to kick all the girls' asses and prove how superior it is to have a Y chromosome, which has been mercifully avoided completely. The series has taken a few hops in the direction of comedy as well, which also eases my mind regarding everything.
However, due to the earthquake and Ayako Fansub's general laziness, I suspect it'll be a while before I get to finish the series, which is a shame because we're into the home stretch, where they get to try and wrap up what has been thus far the background plot. How well they do it will be the deciding factor in whether it's a C or a B.
A lot of the weaknesses in characterization have been lampshaded, which eases my mind about them, and we've had a bit of time away from plot to get to know the girls (who are now in full on vicious competition mode).
I still would characterize it as a bit of a guilty pleasure series, but it has avoided the thing I was most afraid of. I worried that Ichika was going to kick all the girls' asses and prove how superior it is to have a Y chromosome, which has been mercifully avoided completely. The series has taken a few hops in the direction of comedy as well, which also eases my mind regarding everything.
However, due to the earthquake and Ayako Fansub's general laziness, I suspect it'll be a while before I get to finish the series, which is a shame because we're into the home stretch, where they get to try and wrap up what has been thus far the background plot. How well they do it will be the deciding factor in whether it's a C or a B.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Infinite Stratos
So this is an incomplete series, I can't give a fully review of this show yet. I'll post a followup when all twelve episodes have aired. I started watching it because it's being subbed by the same folks who are subbing Toaru Majutsu no Index II and Kore wa Zombie desu ka, both of which I'm enjoying (if not quite completed). And they had a couple funny shots from IS, so I watched the first episode.
I wasn't impressed, but I don't have a lot of other new stuff, so I tonight I figured I'd watch the second.
The mecha are gorgeous and the combat is lovingly rendered, and the events of the story are surprising and twisty. The weakest part of the story is the romance plot, which rather impressively conspires to place the main character at the center of a Love Dodecahedron. His popularity as the only boy in an all-girl school isn't necessarily inaccurate, but it's a little bit overplayed.
And yet, to avoid any significant spoilers, every time the series is getting bad enough that I'd stop watching, something unpredictable and awesome happens that keeps my interest. As usual, the series starts out within a step of where it'll end up, and it started out as a C. With solid buildup and resolution it could be a high B, with a really miserable one it could be a D.
Would I recommend it? If you're willing to swallow some awkward romance plots for some absolutely glorious mechanized violence mostly perpetrated by teenage girls in swimsuits wearing techno-armor, rock out. If you're looking for well-written characters and clever dialogue, and aren't that into mecha or laser swords or explosions or girls in swimsuits, go ahead and skip it.
Cold Opening
Hello, blogosphere.
I'm Nick, you can call me Headlessnewt or, if you're feeling rather snarky, "Kenshin," after Himura Kenshin, my teenage hero. If you need me to explain where he's from, things are going to get difficult from here, because this is going to be a blog dedicated to my reviews of the anime I watch. Naturally, if you're going to take a critic's opinions into consideration, you should know a little bit about what that critic likes regarding the medium that they're discussing, so that seems like the best place to begin here.
So, a little about me. I'm a twenty-something who works in the MMO Industry professionally, so I deal with a lot of nerds as a matter of course. I've been watching anime for well over a decade, and I am semi-fluent in Japanese (yes, I got most of it from watching a whole lot of subtitled anime, yes I have also taken classes). I am a very experienced role-player, and I read when I don't have the option to watch anime. I'm a troper and very interested in story elements and creative interpretations of old ideas. I'm of a very strong opinion that a story which is too long is a bad story; I despise filler and it takes a lot for a series that is longer than 52 episodes to impress me.
While I'm on the subject, since I will be using this a lot, I provide my rating system. Both because I find it more useful than a simple X/Y stars method, I use a letter grade system as follows.
F rank series are terrible. Spare your eyes and your soul. I rarely give this ranking.
D rank series are bad. It may have been waste of time, incoherent, unoriginal or just extremely meh. Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals gets this ranking for unoriginal characters, predictable story, weak animation and general badness.
C rank series are okay. This is my "average" ranking. They may have parts which are genuinely excellent but ultimately fall short, or may have a brilliant concept that isn't played through thoroughly. Moon Phase gets this ranking for unique characterization and some very creative design decisions, but an ultimately weak and poorly followed-through story.
B rank series are good. While there are no series that I would recommend to absolutely everyone, B rank series I recommend to anyone interested in their subject material or overall genre. A series that would otherwise be C rank with an excellent ending or one with a weak concept and writing that manages to be just plain fun despite it will also often earn a B rank from me. Murder Princess gets a B rank for being a very short, unpretentious but creative story with an excellent soundtrack and amusing characters.
A rank series are excellent. They are flawless: excellently told, lovely to watch, emotional, thought-provoking, with believable characters and a well-constructed story. These are the series that I will recommend to people to prove that anime can tell stories of a genre they might otherwise think they can't. Higurashi no Naku koro ni is an A rank series for being a beautiful work of character and setting-based horror and mystery.
S rank are series which are not only excellent, but they break the mold of what anime means. These series challenge the veiwer's way of thinking and leave us deeply and thoroughly affected. I am very hesitant to give out this rating, and I will acknowledge that even more so than the others, the series that I define as S rank say more about me than they do about the series themselves. Neon Genesis Evangelion is an S rank series for being not only an A rank series, but for opening up the viewer's own mind and showing it to them, revealing hope, depth, fear and possibility. Naturally, viewers mileage varies.
In all cases, I will sometimes add either additional letters and +'s to signify that a series is close to the rank above it, but for some reason I could not give it the higher rank. This occurs most often in the B and A ranks, but I have also found quite a few series that are C+ rank, okay, and I liked them, but I couldn't genuinely say they were good. For example, Toradora! I rank as AA+, because it is positively the best crafted Romantic Comedy that I've ever seen.
Anyway, I'm new to the actual blogging thing, so I will leave my first post off here. I don't suspect many people will be reading this for a while, but hopefully when they do, it'll serve as a kind of crash course into the beginnings of the way I talk about the strange and wonderful things that anime has produced.
I'm Nick, you can call me Headlessnewt or, if you're feeling rather snarky, "Kenshin," after Himura Kenshin, my teenage hero. If you need me to explain where he's from, things are going to get difficult from here, because this is going to be a blog dedicated to my reviews of the anime I watch. Naturally, if you're going to take a critic's opinions into consideration, you should know a little bit about what that critic likes regarding the medium that they're discussing, so that seems like the best place to begin here.
So, a little about me. I'm a twenty-something who works in the MMO Industry professionally, so I deal with a lot of nerds as a matter of course. I've been watching anime for well over a decade, and I am semi-fluent in Japanese (yes, I got most of it from watching a whole lot of subtitled anime, yes I have also taken classes). I am a very experienced role-player, and I read when I don't have the option to watch anime. I'm a troper and very interested in story elements and creative interpretations of old ideas. I'm of a very strong opinion that a story which is too long is a bad story; I despise filler and it takes a lot for a series that is longer than 52 episodes to impress me.
While I'm on the subject, since I will be using this a lot, I provide my rating system. Both because I find it more useful than a simple X/Y stars method, I use a letter grade system as follows.
F rank series are terrible. Spare your eyes and your soul. I rarely give this ranking.
D rank series are bad. It may have been waste of time, incoherent, unoriginal or just extremely meh. Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals gets this ranking for unoriginal characters, predictable story, weak animation and general badness.
C rank series are okay. This is my "average" ranking. They may have parts which are genuinely excellent but ultimately fall short, or may have a brilliant concept that isn't played through thoroughly. Moon Phase gets this ranking for unique characterization and some very creative design decisions, but an ultimately weak and poorly followed-through story.
B rank series are good. While there are no series that I would recommend to absolutely everyone, B rank series I recommend to anyone interested in their subject material or overall genre. A series that would otherwise be C rank with an excellent ending or one with a weak concept and writing that manages to be just plain fun despite it will also often earn a B rank from me. Murder Princess gets a B rank for being a very short, unpretentious but creative story with an excellent soundtrack and amusing characters.
A rank series are excellent. They are flawless: excellently told, lovely to watch, emotional, thought-provoking, with believable characters and a well-constructed story. These are the series that I will recommend to people to prove that anime can tell stories of a genre they might otherwise think they can't. Higurashi no Naku koro ni is an A rank series for being a beautiful work of character and setting-based horror and mystery.
S rank are series which are not only excellent, but they break the mold of what anime means. These series challenge the veiwer's way of thinking and leave us deeply and thoroughly affected. I am very hesitant to give out this rating, and I will acknowledge that even more so than the others, the series that I define as S rank say more about me than they do about the series themselves. Neon Genesis Evangelion is an S rank series for being not only an A rank series, but for opening up the viewer's own mind and showing it to them, revealing hope, depth, fear and possibility. Naturally, viewers mileage varies.
In all cases, I will sometimes add either additional letters and +'s to signify that a series is close to the rank above it, but for some reason I could not give it the higher rank. This occurs most often in the B and A ranks, but I have also found quite a few series that are C+ rank, okay, and I liked them, but I couldn't genuinely say they were good. For example, Toradora! I rank as AA+, because it is positively the best crafted Romantic Comedy that I've ever seen.
Anyway, I'm new to the actual blogging thing, so I will leave my first post off here. I don't suspect many people will be reading this for a while, but hopefully when they do, it'll serve as a kind of crash course into the beginnings of the way I talk about the strange and wonderful things that anime has produced.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)